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The family of one victim claims she had a restraining order against the suspect and "nothing was done," while a nearby police chief issues a lengthy statement after some online "made it known that the accused is related" to him.
Two teenage girls are dead and a teen boy is behind bars after a fatal incident in New Jersey.
Maria Niotis (above left) and Isabella Salas (above right), both 17, have been identified as the two victims by CBS News. They were both allegedly struck and killed on Monday, while riding an electric bike in Cranford, NJ.
On Wednesday, another teen -- a 17-year-old boy -- was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. His name has not been revealed by authorities. Per CBS sources, the suspect was allegedly driving a 2021 black Jeep Compass at the time, not stopping after hitting the two girls and then fleeing the scene.
Family members and friends also told the outlet that the suspect was not only known to the victims, but one of the two girls had allegedly filed a restraining order against him for stalking. One friend was quoted as saying, "She made complaints and nothing was done. It's just a tragedy. It's just a tragedy."
A neighbor, meanwhile, told FOX 5 that the suspect was parked outside one of the girls' homes for "for three months," but "he was never stopped."
After the charges were announced Wednesday, the police chief of a neighboring town -- Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro -- released a lengthy statement to Facebook; this after some on social media had allegedly linked him to the suspect.
"Like many of you, I am shocked, stunned, and so overwhelmingly distressed beyond belief by the horrific loss of two young ladies, which occurred in the Township of Cranford on Monday night," wrote Battiloro. "Not only did my police officers and I urgently respond to this incident to aid our law enforcement partners in Cranford, but I reside in the very neighborhood where it occurred."
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View Story"While social media has made it known that the accused is related to me, he is not my son and not a member of my immediate family," Battiloro clarified. "I want to be clear, as loud and as firm as possible, that in NO WAY do my wife, children or I condone, defend, or excuse the actions that caused this terrible and tragic loss of life."
"I have been forced to remain silent so as to allow the Union County Prosecutor's Office and the Cranford Police Department time to conduct a thorough and complete investigation without any outside interference. Now that criminal charges have been filed and an arrest has been so rightly made, I now offer you this statement," he continued.
"I do unequivocally condemn the actions of the accused, and like you, I demand that he face the consequences of his alleged actions in a court of law," Battiloro continued, saying he has "full faith" in the justice system that the suspect will be "held fully accountable."
"As a result of this tragic incident, I lost a neighbor – a beautiful, charismatic young lady named Isabella Salas, who I have watched grow up since the day I moved to Cranford," wrote Battiloro. "My neighborhood feels violated and we are grieving. I am writing this to let you know that I stand WITH you – my Cranford friends and neighbors – and that I grieve WITH you."
