Two devastated New Jersey mothers were forced to confront the teenager accused of deliberately mowing down their daughters as he appeared stone-faced in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to their murders.
asserted
he → force → murders
Vincent Battiloro, 18, was brought into a Union County courtroom in handcuffs as the grieving families of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17, watched the man accused of killing their daughters face justice for the first time in person.
asserted
man → bring → person
The mothers wore shirts bearing photographs of their daughters and the words 'Justice for Bella and Maria.'
asserted
mothers → wear → Bella
They sobbed as they stared at Battiloro.
asserted
they → sob → Battiloro
The emotional confrontation came more than a year after the two best friends were killed while riding an electric bicycle together through the affluent New Jersey town of Cranford.
asserted
friends → come → Cranford
Prosecutors allege Battiloro deliberately accelerated his Jeep Compass to 70mph in a 25mph residential zone before plowing into the girls on September 29, 2025.
asserted
Battiloro → allege → September
The accused killer, whose father is a retired police officer, appeared impassive throughout the brief hearing in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Dressed in a khaki prison jumpsuit, gray T-shirt and slippers, Battiloro stood with his hands cuffed in front of him as his attorney, Rubin Sinnis, entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
asserted
attorney → accuse → behalf
He faces two counts of first-degree murder and could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted.
uncertain
He → face → bars
Vincent Battiloro, 18, sits stone-faced in court beside his attorney as he pleads not guilty to murdering New Jersey teens Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas
The grieving mothers of Maria and Isabella sit in court wearing shirts printed with their daughters’ faces as they confront the teen accused of killing them
Maria Niotis, 17, was one of the victims killed in the crash.
asserted
Niotis → sit → crash
She was a high school student and aspired to graduate and start her cosmetology career
Isabella Salas, 17, was also killed in the crash.
asserted
Salas → aspire → crash
She was remembered as having the 'voice of an angel,' according to her obituary
Outside court, the girls' heartbroken mothers struggled to contain their emotions as they vowed to continue fighting for justice.
uncertain
they → remember → justice
'We will fight like hell until they get the justice they deserve,' Isabella's mother, Maria Salas, said through tears.
asserted
mother → fight → tears
For Maria Niotis' mother, Foula, the pain of losing her daughter has only intensified.
asserted
pain → lose → daughter
'It's harder and harder every day,' she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
'I just wish I could bring her back.
uncertain
I → wish → her
But I know I can't.
asserted
I → know → ?
'So I have to get justice for her and Bella.
asserted
I → have → her
It's the only way, because I believe that's when their souls will rest as well.'
asserted
souls → believe → ?
The anguish came as Battiloro's legal team revealed plans to pursue an insanity or diminished-capacity defense in the double-murder case.
asserted
team → come → case
Prosecutors made it clear that no plea agreement was being offered.
asserted
agreement → make → ?
Outside court, family members spoke through tears as they vowed to keep fighting for justice for the two 17-year-old girls killed in the hit-and-run
Relatives, supporters and lawyers gathered by the courthouse steps after the hearing to demand answers and press for justice for Bella and Maria
Battiloro appears in court flanked by his legal team during his first in-person appearance since being charged as an adult in the double-murder case
The case stems from the horrifying deaths of the two Cranford High School seniors, who were struck while riding along Burnside Avenue.
asserted
who → speak → Avenue
According to investigators, Battiloro had parked near one of the girls' homes before spotting the teenagers traveling in the opposite direction.
uncertain
teenagers → accord → direction
He allegedly made a U-turn and accelerated toward them, striking their e-bike at tremendous speed.
uncertain
He → make → speed
Officers subsequently discovered his Jeep abandoned nearby with extensive damage to its front end and the girls' bicycle lodged in the vehicle.
asserted
Jeep → discover → vehicle
Battiloro allegedly fled on foot before claiming to investigators that an armed, masked carjacker had stolen his vehicle.
But prosecutors say footage from the Jeep's own dashboard camera contradicted that account and showed Battiloro behind the wheel.
uncertain
footage → flee → wheel
The victims' relatives have also alleged that Battiloro had spent months stalking and harassing Maria Niotis before the killings.
asserted
Battiloro → allege → killings
According to prosecutors, the teenager had been reported to police and suspended from school over his alleged behavior toward Maria.
uncertain
teenager → accord → Maria
Her family maintains that earlier warnings about his conduct were not adequately addressed.
asserted
warnings → maintain → conduct
Battiloro is led into the courtroom in handcuffs as the families of the dead girls look on at the proceedings from the gallery
The accused teen stands beside his attorneys and officers in court during the hearing over the deaths of the two best friends
One of the devastated mothers breaks down outside court after coming face to face with the man accused of killing her daughte
asserted
One → lead → daughte
The suspect's own parents had contacted police four times in the weeks before the deaths, including over allegations that he had sprayed his father with mace and stolen his vehicle.
asserted
he → contact → vehicle
Now the victims' families are demanding answers about whether Battiloro's connections to law enforcement influenced how authorities handled him.
asserted
authorities → demand → him
His father, Jeffrey Battiloro, is a retired Chatham Borough police officer, while his uncle is a police chief in nearby Westfield.
asserted
uncle → retire → Westfield
Family attorney Brent Bramnick has questioned why Battiloro was allegedly detained after the crash but released into his father's custody without immediately facing charges.
uncertain
Battiloro → question → charges
'Show us what happened that night, when allegedly, the defendant's father came to the scene, and he was let go,' Bramnick demanded outside court.
uncertain
Bramnick → show → court
The families are also furious that they have not obtained police body-camera footage from the initial investigation.
asserted
they → obtain → investigation
'Right now, we don't have anybody's cams, and it's a year later.
asserted
it → have → cams
That's concerning,' Bramnick said.
asserted
Bramnick → say → ?
Why are we not looking at them?
asserted
we → look → them
The public has a right to know what happened before this incident.
asserted
what → have → incident
What led up to this?
asserted
What → lead → this
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
