(NewsNation) — The alleged killer of two teenage girls in New Jersey had mentioned one of the victims in online posts.
According to the New York Times, Vincent P. Battiloro, 17, had been fixated on Maria Niotis for months. Battiloro, who has tens of thousands of followers as a video game streamer, had taunted Niotis and her mother a week before the crash, ordering pizzas to their house as a prank.
Niotis’ mother also told a friend she had called the police multiple times because Battiloro had parked outside the family’s house and refused to leave.
Niotis’ friends stated Battiloro had harassed her.
Another friend and former boyfriend of Niotis, Elio Martinez, told the outlet that she and Battiloro had gone to school together and that she had complained to the principal and the police about him. In an exchange of Instagram messages in April between him and an account linked to Battiloro’s other social media accounts, Martinez told Battiloro to leave Niotis alone.
In response, Battiloro threatened to release nude photos of Niotis.
“I’m not leaving her alone until she apologizes to me,” Martinez said Battiloro wrote him. “I did it to one girl. I’ll do it to another. Keep running your mouth and I’ll create your girls’ nudes right now.”
Vincent Battiloro accused of deliberately hitting and killing the girls
According to court documents, Battiloro, who is accused of deliberately hitting and killing the girls, was issued 15 tickets, including leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, careless driving and speeding.
Currently, the case is in the juvenile court, but minors 15 or older can be tried as adults in the state if a prosecutor files a waiver motion and the court finds probable cause. It’s not yet clear if Battiloro will be charged as an adult.
The victims’ families released a statement to FOX 5, saying, “It is now vital that the truth be shared: this was not an e-bike accident, and it was not a hit-and-run. This was murder in the first degree.”
They described Battiloro as “a coward of a man, who had been plotting this attack against Maria for months, carried out this horrific act, taking not only her life but also Isabella’s. He is not insane, he is competent and medicated.”
Battiloro was also charged with two counts of first-degree murder by the Union County, New Jersey prosecutor’s office.