Overview

• A 17-year-old from Garwood is in custody on two counts of first-degree murder in the Sept. 29 collision that killed Cranford High School seniors Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, though authorities have not released his name because of juvenile rules.
• Police say a black 2021 Jeep Compass struck the girls on Burnside Avenue, dragged an e‑bike until the SUV became disabled about half a mile away, and the driver was arrested nearby.
• Relatives and neighbors assert the suspect stalked one victim for months and call the killings premeditated; prosecutors have not confirmed those claims and have asked the public to submit any video of the crash.
• Local reporting has identified the suspect as Vincent P. Battiloro through municipal records, and Westfield police chief Christopher Battiloro said the accused is a relative but not his immediate family; multiple outlets report the teen spoke about the incident in a brief YouTube livestream.
• Hundreds attended Niotis’s funeral on Friday and additional services for Salas are scheduled, as the Union County Prosecutor’s Office reviews prosecution options within the 60-day window to seek an adult-court waiver.