Teen Charged in Fatal Incident

A 17-year-old boy, who allegedly killed two teenage girls this week, is reportedly upset about being charged as a juvenile, which allows him to stay at home instead of being in a detention facility.

Vinnie Battilolo is facing two counts of first-degree murder after the deaths of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas on Monday in Cranford. The girls were riding an e-bike when Battilolo allegedly crashed his Jeep into them. It’s notable that his father and uncle both work in local law enforcement. After the incident, he was briefly questioned and let go before formal charges were filed.

He was arrested on Wednesday. Reports indicate that he was driving at 70 mph when he struck the e-bike, with one victim found around 100 feet from where the collision occurred.

Now, the prosecutor’s office intends to move the case to adult criminal court in search of a waiver for Battilolo, where the potential penalties would be significantly more severe. Morris County Prosecutor Alissa Haskup noted that this step is somewhat expected in cases like these.

“If the state doesn’t go for the exemption, that would be surprising,” Haskup said. The waiver process involves the prosecutor submitting a detailed explanation containing the case facts and reasons for the request.

Haskup mentioned that the waiver is often difficult for defense to contest. In a lot of cases, they are approved unless the court finds the exemption request to be clearly unreasonable.

Will Haskup represent Battilolo? She expressed some doubts, considering the troubling nature of the case and the live stream the teen did shortly after his release, which received significant backlash.

If he’s tried as a juvenile, the proceedings could be kept private, meaning the case details would go unreported.

Dr. Jason Williams, a justice research professor at Montrea State University, remarked that it’s not unusual for juvenile defendants to receive bail, even in serious situations. New Jersey reformed its bail system in 2017, and the current law stipulates that youth charged with serious offenses like this should be detained before any release.

“Each case is assessed individually based on current bail criteria, rather than just the nature of the charges,” he added.