The “coward of a man” 17-year-old driver accused of fatally striking two New Jersey teen girls on their e-bike was planning the attack for months, the girls’ grieving families said Wednesday night.
The loved ones of Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas insisted the deadly crash was far more depraved than a simple accident, and that the driver was targeting Maria specifically.
“It is now vital that the truth be shared: This was not an e-bike accident, and it was not a hit-and-run,” the families told Fox 5. “This was murder in the first degree.”
The driver, a Garwood resident who has not been identified by Union County prosecutors because he is a minor, was slapped with two first-degree murder charges Wednesday.
He is related somehow to Christopher Battiloro, the police chief in the neighboring town of Westfield.
“A coward of a man who had been plotting this attack against Maria for months, carried out his horrific act, taking not only her life but also Isabella’s,” the families added.
“He is not insane, he is competent and medicated.”
The girls were mowed down around 5:30 p.m. Monday as they rode an e-bike in the leafy suburb. The driver, in a black 2021 Jeep with tinted windows, fled but was arrested a short time later.
The victims died at the hospital.
A spokesperson for the Union County Prosecutor’s Office said Thursday the criminal charges are currently a juvenile matter so information about the case is limited.
It’s unclear when he will appear in court, but the spokesperson did confirm the suspect is in custody.