Witnesses described a scene of devastation and panic after a driver struck two teenage girls in New Jersey, leaving them critically injured. One caller told the dispatchers, “Nobody was conscious. It was over.”
This tragic event unfolded on September 29th in Cranford when Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17, were allegedly targeted by Vincent Battilolo, also 17, who had reportedly been stalking one of them.
Numerous 911 calls flooded in, and witnesses were in shock as they reported the girls had been hit by a black SUV, lying on the ground on Maria’s street.
A relative of Maria was among those horrified witnesses, but the family indicated that her phone went off as they spoke to reporters.
Attorney Brent Bramnick refrained from identifying which family member sought assistance.
The distress was palpable, with one caller grimly stating, “No one is conscious, no one. They’re all done. They’re not moving. It’s deadly.”
Another woman, clearly shaken, exclaimed, “There’s a girl on the street here… I just came out. There’s a girl on the road, there’s a car. Oh my god, hurry up. Oh my god, oh my god.”
Bramnick mentioned the family is deeply affected by the chaos and cries for help during those intense moments.
“The hardest part is having to relive this nightmare through all the hysteria,” he noted. “What they witnessed could not be more terrifying.”
Others provided details of the incident right after it occurred. One female caller frantically reported, “A black SUV flew down the road and hit a person.”
“Hurry up, please hurry up,” she urged, hyperventilating. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”
Another male caller noted it seemed the car had struck “someone who was in trouble right now,” and another mentioned that the vehicle hit and then continued driving.
As the sirens approached, the female caller described, “It appears there was a traffic accident involving an electric bicycle.” She observed, “No one is riding a bicycle, and no one is riding a car.”
Battilolo has been charged with first-degree murder, although he is currently being treated as a juvenile within the justice system.
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office has until early December to potentially transfer the case to adult court, a decision ultimately made by a judge.
Reports indicate that Battilolo had been harassing and stalking Maria for months leading up to this tragic event, even prank-calling her with pizza orders.
He was initially detained at the scene but was released to his father, a former police officer, before facing formal charges later that week.
Detailed information about his case has been scarce due to it being a juvenile proceeding, but he has been identified through a traffic ticket related to the incident.
