Two teenagers ‘best friends went to the afternoon this week for the E-Directors’ ride in Cranford, the new Jersey, a small town, just 18 miles south of New York.
They never called home. According to local authorities, both girls struck a car and killed September 29. And now another teenager, who was found by the Union District Prosecutor’s Office as a 17 -year -old man, was arrested and accused of two first -degree murder.
The names of the victims were not released by law enforcement, but family members identified them for local media as Maria Niotis and Isabella Rose, both for 17 years.
According to CNN’s subsidiary WABC, hundreds of people gathered to remember teens on Tuesday night. They lit candles and left balloons, stuffed animals and images of two girls.
Among the sadness was the mother of Mary, Four.
“She wasn’t just my daughter; she was my best friend,” she said. “A girl who could enter the room and illuminate it just being herself.”
Deaths disrupted the Cranford community. “I don’t think any of us slept properly at night because it could be our own” child, WABC said Tuesday Vigilia was involved in a mature Schmidt. “So you put yourself in their shoes and go out and support them.
The Isabelas will take place on Saturday. According to her, the teenager was a passionate singer and actor voluntary in a local food pantry. Her funeral is scheduled for Monday.
Mass was held on Friday to Mary, who was remembered as a craving cosmetologist who worked at a local cafe at his obituary. Mary was passionate about seeing beauty from the inside, her mother said after her daughter’s visit.
“It wasn’t just a glam,” said Niiotis, according to CNN’s subsidiary News 12 New Jersey. “It was to help people see the beauty she may have forgotten. She loved a lot, she gave me generously, she dreamed.”
The Gofundme, established by the families of both victims, has already raised more than $ 150,000.
17-year-old arrested from a neighboring city
The massacre also remained that they were questions. The suspect was not named by law enforcement, which did not answer CNN questions about whether the killing was intended and whether the motive was established by quoting new Jersey laws on minors and criminal cases.
According to the new Jersey Court, September 29 In the afternoon, 15-year-old Vincent Battilor was released 15 traffic tickets. They include tickets so that the speed limit exceeds 45-49 miles per hour, leaving the scene of the incident related to personal injury and without reporting the accident. The date and location form detailed information about the prosecutor’s office. The vehicle in the tickets also corresponds to the vehicle description, which the prosecutor’s office said they were looking for after the accident. It is unclear whether the teenager has a lawyer. CNN tries to reach their family members.
According to the Union District Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect was detained and questioned on Monday. He was released and later arrested on Wednesday morning, according to a CNN report at the Prosecutor’s Office.
In a Facebook post, a new Jersey police chief of Westfield, a new Jersey police post, said the suspect was a relative – though not a member of his nearest family.
“I am unequivocally condemning the actions of the accused and, as you are, I demand that he encountered the consequences of his alleged actions in court,” wrote Christopher on Batilor’s Facebook post. “My neighborhood feels damaged and we are grieving.”
He added that he and his family are “extremely hurting this meaningless loss of life, as well as because of the lost sense of safety and security in the neighborhood and community that you and I call home.”
Isabella – “A beautiful, charismatic young lady” – was his neighbor, said the chief.
CNN Holly Yan and Leigh Waldman contributed to this report.
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