Two teenage friends went for an electric bike ride in Cranford, New Jersey, a small town just 18 miles south of New York City in the United States.
They never got home. Both young women were hit by a car and died on September 29, according to local authorities. Now, another teenager – identified by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office as a 17-year-old boy – has been arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated murder.
The names of the victims were not released by authorities, but family members identified them to the local press as Maria Niotis and Isabella Rose Salas, both 17 years old.
The day after the tragedy, hundreds of people gathered to remember the teenagers, according to CNN affiliate WABC. They lit candles and left balloons, stuffed animals and pictures of the two girls.
Among the mourners was Maria’s mother, Fouli Niotis “She wasn’t just my daughter; she was my best friend,” he said. “The kind of girl who walked into a room and lit it up just by being herself.”
The deaths disrupted the Cranford community. “I don’t think any of us could sleep because it could have been our own son,” Brandi Schmidt, who attended the vigil, told WABC.
Isabella was an avid singer and actress who volunteered at a local food bank, according to her obituary. Maria was remembered as an aspiring cosmetologist who worked at a local cafe, also according to her obituary. Maria was passionate about helping people see their inner beauty, her mother said after visiting her daughter.
“It wasn’t just about glamour,” Niotis stressed, according to CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey. “It was about helping people see the beauty in themselves that they might have forgotten. She loved deeply, gave generously, dreamed boldly.”
17-year-old from neighboring city arrested
Their deaths also left a series of questions. The suspect was not identified by authorities, who did not respond to CNN’s questions about whether the hit-and-run was premeditated or another identified motive, citing New Jersey laws regarding juveniles and criminal cases.
But 15 traffic tickets were issued on the afternoon of Sept. 29 to 17-year-old Vincent Battiloro, according to New Jersey court records. Fines include speeding 45 to 49 kilometers per hour, leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and failing to report an accident. The date and place coincide with the details of the hit-and-run alleged by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The vehicle identified in the tickets also matches the description of the vehicle the District Attorney’s Office said it was looking for after the accident.
The suspect was first questioned and then arrested days later, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.
In a Facebook post, the police chief of nearby Westfield, New Jersey, said the suspect was a relative — although not an immediate family member. “I unequivocally condemn the actions of the accused and, like you, I demand that he face the consequences of his alleged actions in court,” wrote Christopher Battiloro in a Facebook post. “My neighborhood feels violated and we are in mourning.”
He added that he and his family “are absolutely heartbroken at this senseless loss of life, but also at the loss of a sense of safety and security in the neighborhood and community that you and I call home.”
*Holly Yan and Leigh Waldman contributed to this article
