Two teenagers are dead after being struck and killed by a motorist while riding their bikes in a New Jersey neighborhood, leaving a community devastated.
“The Township of Cranford is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two young women in last night’s heartbreaking incident,” the Cranford Township Committee said in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Neighbors identified the victims as Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both 17 and students at Cranford High School, according to Fox 5 New York. Officials said the male driver (also 17) was taken into custody but has not yet been charged.
The deadly crash happened just after 5:25 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, as the girls rode electronic bikes on Burnside Avenue. Authorities are asking residents to check their surveillance cameras or dash cams for a black 2021 Jeep Compass Utility 4D Altitude 4WD with tinted windows, believed to have been involved.
Neighbors told Fox 5 and WABC that one of the girls had been stalked by the suspect for months, claiming he parked outside her home, followed her online, and even at school. “The school was notified, the police were notified, like for three months now,” one resident said, adding that nothing had been done.
Witnesses said after the driver hit the teens, he continued down the street with one of the bikes stuck under his vehicle until it reportedly disabled his car and forced him to stop.
A GoFundMe launched for the families of Maria and Isabela described them as “two beautiful young lives” and said, “Our hearts are broken with this sudden and senseless loss.”
Cranford Public Schools called the deaths “a terrible tragedy” and made crisis counselors available to all students on Tuesday.
Investigators are urging anyone with information to contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Alex Lanza at (908) 370-4318 or Cranford Police Detective Jason D’Agostino at (908) 276-0171. Tips can also be submitted anonymously at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at www.uctip.org
The kids have no surnames and the driver has no name
What does that mean? They are all minors.
1. Leave it to police to not do anything.
2. This sounds like vehicular homicide.