Panic in the First Moments After the Fatal Crash That Killed 17-Year-Old Greek-American Maria Niotis. Questions mount after the teen driver’s quick release to his ex-police officer father.
Newly released 911 recordings capture the chaos and heartbreak in the immediate aftermath of the fatal crash that killed 17-year-old Greek-American Maria Nioti and her friend Isabella Salas in Cranford, New Jersey, on September 29.
The two teenagers were struck by a black SUV allegedly driven by 17-year-old Vincent Battiloro, Maria’s former boyfriend, who has roots from the Greek island of Rhodes.
“Please send an ambulance — hurry! Someone is lying in front of my house,” a panicked woman tells the 911 dispatcher.
“A black SUV swerved and hit some people… two people — please come quickly!”
The distressing audio, released by News 12 New Jersey, captures multiple witnesses pleading for help as they discovered the girls’ lifeless bodies.
“No one is conscious — they’re dead, it’s fatal,” one caller says.
Another adds, “There’s a girl in the street… I just came outside — there’s a girl and a car, oh my God, please hurry!”
Arrest and Controversial Release
According to police reports, Battiloro was arrested shortly after the crash but was released eight hours later into the custody of his father, Jeffrey Battiloro, a retired police officer, without any charges filed that night.
Attorney Brent Brammy, representing the Nioti family, questioned the decision, saying:
“Why was he released to his father after everything that happened? The family wants to know why he wasn’t charged that same night.”
Records show Battiloro was taken into custody around 6:15 p.m. and released around 2 a.m. the following morning.
The Niotis family’s legal team is now demanding an investigation into whether the driver’s family ties to law enforcement influenced how the case was handled.
As the Cranford community continues to grieve the loss of Maria and Isabella, questions remain about justice, accountability, and transparency in the wake of the tragedy.
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