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A Union County grand jury indicted Vincent Battiloro on two first-degree murder counts in the Cranford e-bike deaths.
The New York Post, News 12 New Jersey, Patch, NJ.com, and NJ 101.5 reported that on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, a Union County grand jury indicted Vincent Battiloro, 18, of Garwood, on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cranford High School seniors Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17. The case was handled as a juvenile before the Union County Prosecutor's Office said in June 2026 that he would be tried as an adult. Patch reported that an arraignment date has not been set.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer ·
An indictment is a grand jury's decision to charge. It is not a conviction, and it is not a sentence. Battiloro is now charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas. The New York Post's report of up to 30 years if he is convicted is statutory exposure. Patch reported the arraignment is not on the calendar yet.
The New York Post, News 12 New Jersey, Patch, NJ.com, and NJ 101.5 reported that a Union County grand jury on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, indicted Vincent Battiloro, 18, of Garwood, on two counts of first-degree murder. The counts name the deaths of Cranford High School seniors Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17. A grand jury indictment is the charging paper. It is not a finding that he killed them.
The crash was on Sept. 29, 2025, on Burnside Avenue in Cranford, those outlets reported. Niotis and Salas were on an e-bike when a vehicle struck them. Both later died at hospitals. Those are the deaths charged in the indictment.
Prosecutors allege Battiloro stalked Niotis for months, the outlets reported. They reported that the school had told him to stop harassing her and that he was suspended. Prosecutors allege he accelerated a black Jeep to about 70 mph in a 25 mph zone, struck the cyclists from behind, and fled. Those are the allegations in the adult case. A jury has not heard them.
The same coverage reported that Battiloro claimed he had been carjacked, and that dashcam video showed him getting into his Jeep. Patch reported that he is charged with the two murder counts plus other citations, and that he has been connected to swatting cases involving one girl's family. A reported connection is not a conviction on those matters. The citation counts, like the murder counts, are accusations.
The case started in juvenile court. In June 2026 the Union County Prosecutor's Office said he would be tried as an adult, the outlets reported. The October indictment is that adult case. The New York Post reported that if he is convicted as an adult he faces up to 30 years. That figure is the exposure the Post described. It is not a term a judge has imposed. Patch reported that an arraignment date has not been set.
When an arraignment is set, that hearing is where he answers the indictment. The two first-degree murder counts stay accusations until a court enters a judgment. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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