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Who is Vincent Battiloro? Suspect in hit-and-run murder of New Jersey teen girls
The alleged motorist is believed to have killed Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas when they were riding the electric bike.
The teenage driver charged with murder for allegedly mowing down two teenage girls in New Jersey has reportedly been identified. With the help of neighbors and traffic tickets, local outlet NJ.com identified the driver as Vincent Battiloro, a 17-year-old.
He was reportedly charged with two counts of first degree murder. The case is now in juvenile court and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office has not yet officially named the alleged driver.
Who is Vincent Battiloro?
Battiloro is from Garwood and at least 15 tickets were issued to him, municipal court records showed. Among the citations are leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving and speeding, and driving without a license, registration or insurance card, the publication reported.
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Neighbors, meanwhile, told New York Post that Battiloro was the alleged motorist who killed Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, also aged 17, when they were riding an electric bike. There were claims that the alleged driver was stalking Maria ahead of the crime.
What grieving families said
The families of the two victims slammed the alleged motorist. “It is now vital that the truth be shared: This was not an e-bike accident, and it was not a hit-and-run. This was murder in the first degree,” they told Fox 5.
“A coward of a man who had been plotting this attack against Maria for months, carried out his horrific act, taking not only her life but also Isabella’s,” they added. Isabella's father said “Her best friend was Maria. They were hung together at the hip.”
The two girls died after being mowed down around 5:30 p.m. Monday. The driver was seen in a black 2021 Jeep with tainted windows. Reportedly the crash took place just outside Maria's grandmother's house, and when a family member ran to help, they were unaware that Maria was involved.
