Accused NJ teen stalker indicted a year later for murdering two girls, 17, mowed down on e-bikes

New Jersey teen Vincent Battiloro has been indicted for murdering two teenage girls — including one he was allegedly stalking — more than a year after they were mowed down while riding e-bikes.

Battiloro, now 18, was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday for the first-degree murders of Cranford High School seniors Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas in September 2025, when all three were just 17.

The ex-cop’s son, of Garwood, had allegedly been stalking Niotis for months — and was seen accelerating his black Jeep to 70 mph in a 25 mph zone when he ran the cyclists over from behind in Cranford, a leafy suburb about 25 miles west of New York City.

Vincent Battiloro, 18, has been indicted on murder charges over the deaths of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas. NJ Courts

He was initially arrested and charged — and then released — as a juvenile, but faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted as an adult.

“The families are hopeful that justice will be achieved and that a trial in open court will bring what happened to light,” lawyers Brent Bramnick and Cory Rothbort said Wednesday of the year-long wait, according to NJ101.5.

“This has been a long time, a long investigation, a waiver, and now the opportunity to present this and have people see it in open court, I think is important for the public and also for the families,” Bramnick, who is representing Niotis’ family, added.

“It’s still as difficult as it was from the beginning,” Bramnick said.

Niotis and her family had repeatedly accused Battiloro of stalking her, leading to his school to stop harassing” her. He was allegedly furious at getting suspended from school when he ignored that demand.


Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas stand together in a corn maze on a sunny day.
Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas were killed while riding an e-bike last September. Facebook/Mary Salas

Battiloro claimed he had been carjacked by a masked person armed with a knife, according to a complaint seen by Fox News.

But dashcam video showed him getting into his Jeep and driving towards the home of one of the girls, previous court documents noted.

Battiloro then spotted the girls and made a U-turn – before he floored the gas, struck the girls’ bikes and then ran away, court docs alleged. 

He was questioned the day of the crash but released and arrested two days later. In the hours in between, he allegedly livestreamed a video, claiming there was “more to the story.”

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