NY teen girls killed in quiet suburban area by stalker who ran then down in a jeep

Question

Two teenage girls were mowed down and killed Monday in leafy Cranford, New Jersey, by a hit-and-run driver who had allegedly been stalking one of them.

The two 17-year-old Cranford High School students, Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, were riding on an ebike together around 5:30 p.m. when a black 2021 Jeep with tinted windows rammed into them, according to authorities and local reports.

Both girls later died at the hospital.

Answer 1

It appears the story is still developing, but most details in the claim are accurate.

The suspect’s name has not been officially released. However, CNN reported that, according to New Jersey court records, 15 traffic tickets were issued on the afternoon of September 29 to 17-year-old Vincent Battiloro. The citations include driving 45–49 miles per hour over the speed limit, leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury, and failing to report an accident. The date, location, and vehicle described in the records match the details of the hit-and-run alleged by the prosecutor’s office.

Relatives and friends of the victims claim Battiloro had been stalking one of the girls and that a restraining order had been filed against him prior to the crash. The Union County Prosecutor’s Office, which is leading the investigation, did not immediately respond to CBS News New York’s request to verify those claims. According to the New York Times, the victims’ family said Battiloro had been “pranking” them, including placing a Domino’s order during one of his video game live streams.

NBC affiliate WBAL-TV 11 reported that the suspect was detained and questioned on Monday, according to the prosecutor’s office. He was later released and then arrested on Wednesday morning [Oct 1,2025], the office said in a statement to CNN.

Comments

I like the second paragraph where you described in detail what the developing story is, cited reliable news sources and even added dates as this is still an updating story and not many people may know when or where this happened.

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I like that you verified the claims with a lot of evidence, but noted before everything else that the story is still developing. Great journalistic integrity! Something that may be true now could be disproven later.

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I appreciate the way you structured this response and set up the information in an effective way. This makes your fact check much more understandable. The sources you incorporated are very reliable. It might be helpful to expand a bit more on why the sources you used were trustworthy. Amazing display of information!

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The claim that two girls Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, were killed in Cranford New Jersey by a stalker is partially true. The two 17 year olds were struck by a black Jeep on October 2nd 2023, they both died later in the hospital which was confirmed by news outlets. However the stalking part of it has not been confirmed by authorities. There is a comment on the post that explains it saying "Relatives and friends of the victims claim Battiloro had been stalking one of the girls and that a restraining order had been filed against him prior to the crash."

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Your approach to your response is highly informational and structured well. It includes several reliable sources, and updated information from each source. Not only do you include information on the victims, but there is also an update on the suspect, and information that it is an ongoing investigation.

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This is a very good answer. I appreciate how you went into detail about what exactly the developing story is, and cited reputable sources where you got that information from. Your answer is clear and easy to understand because of the way you formatted your response.

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Great follow-up to the original claim, as you recognized that the story is still developing. It will be valuable to see how the investigation unfolds and whether systematic failures played a role in this unfortunate event.

Answer 2

Overall, this claim is true. The story has developed more over time since this statement was published.

According to NBCNEWYORK victims were identify as Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas. The suspect Vincent Battiloro was charged Wednesday with first- degree murder for the death of both 17-year-old girls were killed in Cranford on Monday September 29 while riding their bicycles. Witnesses reported as intentional. Battiloro was earlier cited with 15 violations, one being speeding up to 70 mph in a 25-mph zone. The investigation is still on going and according to The Union County officer they are still in search of further evidence to this horrific loss. 

"She made complaints, and nothing was done" (Tammy Carbaja).  AOL news illustrated Battilio had been stalking them before this tragedy. A neighbor told Fox 5 that before the murder happened they have been stalked three months prior, and nothing was done. Many state "this town failed them" stating that nothing is done until it is too late.
 

Comments

I like how you used multiple different news sources, including NBC, AOL, and Fox 5, linking each source to show exactly where you got your information as well as cross examining all three sources. I was wondering if you could possibly link me to the police report of Vincent Battiloro as well if you have it, just to wonder if he has had previous offenses or misdemeanors.

Answer 3

I found this statement to be true, it happened on September 29, 2025 around 5:30. According to KFOX14, two 17 year old girls in Cranford, New Jersey named Maria Niotis and Isabella Sala were on electronic bikes and killed by a hit and run. On Wednesday, the 17 year old murderer was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The murderer had been a reported stalker of one of the girls for many months at that point. 

He stalked her both online and at her house and her school. The girls were seriously hurt by the crash and later died at the hospital. I learned from the KFOX14 article that the police already knew about the stalking, but never took any action. The Union County Prosecutor and Police Chief did not identify the stalker’s name in the news release. 

https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/2-new-jersey-teenagers-killed-in-hit-and-run-crash-by-alleged-stalker-reports-electronic-bike-union-county-garwood-first-degree-murder-homicide-investigation-deaths-cranford-police-department 

Answer 4

The story explained is generally correct and is credible to the public.

According to CNN, CBS News, and People Magazine, the victims of the horrific event was Maria Nitosis and Isabella Salas, students at Cranford High School, both 17. The two girls were riding their electric bikes at around 5:30 PM on September 29, 2025. The suspect was also a 17 year old named Vincent Battiloro, who was driving a black 2021 jeep compass and was charged with 2 first degree murders. While also getting charged 15 traffic tickets during the action. The 2 girls were taken to a hospital and did die due to injuries.

People Magazine families and relatives of the victim claims that Battiloro was indeed stalking one of them and the crash was definitetly intentional. ABC7 New York mentions how Union County Prosecuter's Office is deciding to file him as a adult or a minor. NBC says he was taken in for question on Monday and later was arrested officially on Wednesday.

Comments

While this answer is well thought out and shows effort put into it's research, could you provide links to the sources you used? That would add a lot of credibility to your answer.

Answer 5

The claim is semi-accurate. I found that most of the information is true, except there seems to be more details reguarding if the death of the girls was on accident or purpose. According to People, the family of both of the girls who passed claimed that this was not a hit-and-run but a first degree murder. A spokesperson said that the suspect was arrested on two charges of first degree murder on October first. 

This case seemed very intentional, as the 17-year-old driver was driving over 70 mph in a 25 mph zone. CNN addresses the stalking issue by including the family's thoughts on why this happened. They argue the suspect had been stalking Niotis to the point where a few weeks before the incident, she had filed a restraining order. 

Answer 6

From what we can see so far, this information provided is true, but the story is still developing and very little about the suspect has been released. 

The two most notable articles I found, CNN and The New York Times, both contained the same information which leads me to believe my findings are accurate. Both of these sources have no connection to this case, therefore I don’t believe there is any bias that would skew any of the provided information. 

On Monday, September 29th, two 17 year old girls were struck and killed by a black jeep with tinted windows. It is very likely that the murderer was Vincent, the 17 year old believed stalker of murder victim Maria. It was confirmed by multiple close friends of Marias that Vincent was obsessed with her and would often threaten her and her family. According to Maria’s ex boyfriend, Elio Martinez, Vincent (the suspected victim) threatened to release nude photos of Maria if she didn’t apologize to him. As well, there is physical evidence on the internet, of Vincent sending pizza’s to Maria’s house as an act of harassment, “I think you’re hungry. We’re going to send you a pizza.”. He was a popular live streamer who shared much of his life on the internet. He had his last internet live stream the night after the death of the two teenage girls. In his final live he stated “I built a great following on TikTok, with 39,000 followers, that I have grown since 2020, and I want to thank each and every single one of you,… I love you all to absolute death. And regardless of what happens, if you don’t see me streaming for a little bit, you’ll understand why.” Vincents family is part of the police force, his uncle, the police chief, wrote in a facebook post about the suspect “is related to me, he is not my son and not a member of my immediate family. As a law enforcement officer, I maintain full faith and confidence in our criminal justice system.”

It’s been confirmed that the suspect has been questioned and arrested.

Answer 7

Think of this as your investigation log. Answer each question to explain what you discovered and how you got there.

1. Write a brief overall summary of your findings.
2. What primary sources did you find (e.g., transcripts, videos of politician speeches, tweets from public figures, scientific studies)? For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.
3. What secondary sources did you find (e.g., newspapers, magazines)? Only use secondary sources if sufficient primary sources are not available. For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.
4. What potential biases or interests might each of your sources have?
5. What evidence supports the claim you are fact-checking?
6. What evidence undermines the claim you are fact-checking?
7. What happened when you tried contacting the person or group who made the original claim? (Always try to contact them—it’s okay if you don’t get a reply. For example, if the claim is that the president said something, try reaching out to the administration. If it was a Bluesky user, message that user on Bluesky.)

Two Cranford High School students, 17-year-olds Isabella Salas and Maria Niotis, were fatally struck by a black 2021 Jeep as they rode an e-bike about 5:30 p.m. on September 29, 2025, in Cranford, New Jersey. The two girls both died later at the hospital, said the Union County Prosecutor's Office and Cranford Police. Police later arrested a 17-year-old Garwood suspect on two counts of first-degree murder. Official reports, including the UCPO press release and CBS News, confirmed the arrest and fatalities. Family members told reporters the suspect had been stalking one of the victims, but prosecutors don't confirm the claim. The reports from CBS News, People Magazine, and ABC 7 Eyewitness News all agree on the circumstances of the crash but differ slightly regarding motive. Official news releases and court records confirm facts of fatal crash and charges, with the stalking allegation being unsubstantiated.