‘Coward of a man’ accused of killing NJ teens in hit-and-run planned attack ‘for months,’ girls’ families say

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.

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“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.

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“He is not insane, he is competent and meditated.”

Isabella’s father told NJ.com his daughter didn’t know the alleged driver, but that Maria’s mother told him her daughter was having issues with the 17-year-old suspect.

A friend of both girls added that Maria and her ex-boyfriend were having serious problems, and the ex even sent a threatening text to a boy that Maria dated after they broke up, NJ.com reported.

One of texts reviewed by the outlet showed one of the teens telling the ex-boyfriend “the school already told you to stop harassing her.”

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 crash happened just outside Maria’s grandmother’s home, and when a family member saw the crash, they raced to help, unaware that Maria was involved.

The victims died at the hospital.

“Her best friend was Maria,” Isabella’s father said. “They were hung together at the hip.”

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.

The suspect, who is in custody, appeared in court Thursday but because he’s a juvenile, it was not a public hearing.

“He killed two beautiful girls,” the grandmother told NJ.com. “He should pay.”