Overview
- Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17, were struck on Sept. 29 in Cranford while riding an e-bike, allegedly by a 2021 black Jeep Compass.
- Newly released 911 audio captures panicked witnesses describing two victims on the ground and a fleeing black SUV.
- Police logs obtained this week show the suspect was detained after the crash and released to his father roughly eight hours later before his Oct. 1 arrest on two first-degree murder charges.
- The families say one victim had been harassed and stalked for months, and their attorney is pressing officials on why the teen was released that night.
- The defendant remains in custody in juvenile court as Union County prosecutors face an early-December deadline to seek an adult-court transfer.