Dashcam Shows NJ Teen U-Turn Before Fatal E-Bike Crash
Dashcam video showing a U-turn and prior stalking allegations form the basis of rare first-degree murder charges in a New Jersey traffic death.
A Union County grand jury indicted 18-year-old Vincent Battiloro on two counts of first-degree murder Wednesday for a September 2025 crash that killed two New Jersey teenagers, elevating what began as a traffic investigation into a case hinging on dashcam footage prosecutors say proves premeditation. The recording, according to investigators and the victims’ attorney, shows Battiloro executing a U-turn in his 2021 Black Jeep Compass to follow Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas before striking them from behind.
The indictment marks a rare legal escalation. First-degree murder charges stemming from vehicle collisions are uncommon in New Jersey, where vehicular homicide typically carries significantly lighter sentences. To secure a murder conviction, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Battiloro acted with purposeful intent to kill rather than through recklessness or negligence.
Court records show Battiloro was driving up to 70 mph on Burnside Avenue in Cranford, a residential street posted at 25 mph, when he hit the 17-year-old best friends riding an electric bicycle on Sept. 29, 2025. Cranford police initially issued citations for speeding, reckless driving, improper passing and an unsafe lane change. He also faced citations for leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury, failing to report an accident, possessing unclear license plates, and lacking proof of registration, insurance or a driver’s license.
Brent Bramnick, the attorney representing the Niotis family, told Fox News Digital the video evidence shifts the burden of proof. “Even more important than the allegations in the tickets… is the fact that this was evidently recorded as it’s happening,” Bramnick said. “That requires a lot of work and that requires making sure you have all the evidence to show, piece by piece, what this defendant was thinking, and that it was not an accident.”
Foulla Niotis, Maria’s mother, told Fox News Digital that Battiloro previously attended Lincoln School in Cranford with her daughter and had stalked her for months before the collision. She reported the behavior to police but said officers took no action. “Nobody said to me if there was anything I could do, restraining orders or anything against him,” she said. “They just kept saying, ‘Oh, he’s a juvenile.'”
Bramnick said Battiloro is also accused of swatting the Niotis residence at least twice in September 2025, a tactic involving false emergency calls designed to draw armed police responses to a target’s home.
Cranford police questioned Battiloro on the day of the crash but released him to his father after he claimed someone carjacked him at knifepoint. Authorities arrested him in June and charged him as an adult after reviewing the dashcam footage. The following day, Battiloro appeared on a YouTube gaming livestream complaining about people ridiculing him over what he called “false allegations.”
Battiloro remains in custody after his defense agreed to detention without prejudice. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 27 at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Defense attorney Brian Biglin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
