Vincent Battiloro Pleads Not Guilty in Cranford Double Murder; Victims' Families Ask N.J. Attorney General to Investigate Police Dealings
Vincent Battiloro, the New Jersey man accused of deliberately running down two 17-year-old girls on an e-bike in Cranford last year pleaded not guilty to murder on Monday, as the girls' families called on the state attorney general to investigate how police handled him before and after the crash.
Battiloro, now 18, appeared in Union County Superior Court in Elizabeth for his arraignment on a two-count indictment charging him with first-degree murder in the deaths of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both seniors at Cranford High School. It was his first in-person court appearance. He did not speak; his attorney entered the plea on his behalf, ABC News reported.
His lawyers asked for more evidence from prosecutors and told the court they are considering an insanity or diminished-capacity defense and a request to move the trial to another county, according to WABC-TV and the New York Post. The next hearing is set for Dec. 14.
What Vincent Battiloro Is Accused Of
A Union County grand jury indicted Battiloro, of Garwood, on Oct. 14. The indictment charges that on or about Sept. 29, 2025, in Cranford, he "did knowingly and/or purposely cause the death" of each victim.
Prosecutors allege he intentionally drove into the two friends as they rode an e-bike on Burnside Avenue shortly before 5:30 p.m. Police have said the Jeep was traveling about 70 mph in a 25 mph zone, the New York Post reported. According to the criminal complaint, as reported by ABC News, the SUV was found nearby with "major front-end damage and an e-bike embedded into the front of the vehicle," Battiloro fled on foot, and he later told police he had been carjacked by a masked man with a knife.
Battiloro, who was 17 at the time, was arrested two days after the crash and first charged as a juvenile. In June, the Union County Prosecutor's Office moved the case to adult court. As an adult, he faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of murder, News 12 New Jersey reported.
The families have alleged that Battiloro stalked Niotis for months before the crash. Authorities have not commented on a motive, ABC News reported.
The Families' Call for an Outside Investigation
In a joint statement released Monday, the Niotis and Salas families thanked the prosecutor's office and investigators but said "justice cannot be done in the dark."
"Maria and Isabella should be alive today," the statement said. "These families, and every parent in this community, deserve to know how this unspeakable catastrophe was allowed to happen."
The families asked the New Jersey attorney general to investigate "all law enforcement dealings and interactions with Vincent Battiloro and his family" and to make the findings public.
Battiloro's father, Jeffrey Battiloro, is a retired Chatham police officer, and his uncle is the police chief in nearby Westfield, the New York Post reported. Brent Bramnick, the Niotis family's attorney, has alleged that Battiloro was taken into custody on the day of the crash and released to his father hours later without charges. NJ Advance Media has reported that Battiloro's parents called police at least four times about his behavior, starting in August 2025, before the crash, according to Patch.
"Show us what happened that night, when allegedly, the defendant's father came to the scene, and he was let go," Bramnick told reporters outside court. He also said the families still have not seen police body camera footage from that night. "The public has a right to know what happened before this incident," he said.
What Comes Next
Both girls' mothers attended Monday's hearing with relatives and supporters wearing shirts that read "Justice for Bella and Maria."
"We will fight like hell until they get the justice they deserve," Salas' mother told reporters, according to the New York Post.
Battiloro remains in custody. ABC News reported that it reached out to his attorneys for comment and did not immediately receive a response.
Images: Cranford train station, Adam Moss, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0; Union County Courthouse, Tomwsulcer, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Superior Court of New Jersey, Union County, State v. Vincent P. Battiloro, Indictment (redacted), filed Oct. 14, 2026: https://www.njcourts.gov/sites/default/files/vincentbattilor-indictment-101526-redacted.pdf ; Union County Prosecutor's Office, "Garwood man indicted for Cranford double homicide," Oct. 15, 2026: https://ucpo.org/news/article/garwood-man-indicted-for-cranford-double-homicide ; Union County Prosecutor's Office, "Juvenile waived to adult court in connection with Cranford double homicide": https://ucpo.org/news/article/juvenile-waived-to-adult-court-in-connection-with-cranford-double-homicide ; ABC News, Oct. 26, 2026: https://abcnews.com/US/new-jersey-teen-bike-murder-charges-plea/story?id=137575661 ; WABC-TV, "Battiloro defense seeks venue change in Cranford double-murder case," Oct. 26, 2026: https://abc7ny.com/post/vincent-battiloro-arraigned-cranford-deaths-isabella-salas-maria-niotis/19980230/ ; New York Post, Oct. 26, 2026: https://nypost.com/2026/10/26/us-news/moms-stare-down-stoned-face-teen-accused-of-stalking-running-down-daughters-in-cranford-new-jersey/ ; Patch, "NJ Teen Indicted For Double Murder Of 2 High School Girls," Oct. 15, 2026: https://patch.com/new-jersey/cranford/vincent-battiloro-indicted-double-murder-2-cranford-high-school-girls ; News 12 New Jersey, July 1, 2026: https://hudsonvalley.news12.com/18-year-old-charge-in-murder-of-two-teen-girls-will-remain-jailed
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