TWO teenage girls have been killed after they were mowed down by a crazed driver as they biked along a neighborhood street.
Horrified neighbors claim the now-cuffed 17-year-old boy who was arrested after the hit-and-run was stalking victims Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas for months before their tragic deaths.
Two teenage girls were killed by a driver after a hit-and-run on Monday[/caption]
Maria Niotis, 17, was named as one of the victims[/caption]
Isabella Salas, 17, was also killed in the crash[/caption]
On Monday after 5:30 pm, the girls were hit by a black Jeep SUV while riding electronic bikes in Cranford, New Jersey, about 20 minutes outside Newark, cops said.
The driver fled the scene with one of the bikes still dragging under the car until the vehicle became disabled a short distance away, and he was arrested.
The girls were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they died.
Cops have described the devastating crime as a hit-and-run, but locals claim they’ve seen that same vehicle lurking around their neighborhood for months.
Some have accused the suspect of stalking one of the girls for months online and in person.
“He’s been parked outside her house for three months now,” a neighbor told Fox affiliate WNYW.
“He was never stopped.”
Other relatives claim that one of the girls was forced to file a restraining order against the boy, WCBS reported.
The suspect, who is said to have lived in next-door borough Garwood, hasn’t been named.
No charges have been filed against him so far.
A witness who walked outside and saw the crime scene said, “Nothing in the world is more horrible than what I saw yesterday.”
“I have kids, you know, and so no family should have to go through this.”
VICTIMS MOURNED
The mother of one of the victims was heard wailing at a vigil held for the victims on Tuesday night.
Friends and family held each other tightly and left bouquets of flowers as they mourned the tragic losses.
One mom who gathered to support the families said, “We don’t want to bury our children […] Our children are to bury us.
“So we’re here to support them no matter what.”
Both of the victims were students at Cranford High School. They were described as kind, bright, and creative.
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office has asked anyone who may have video of the crash to submit it as they continue to investigate.
Neighbor Mary Campbell said that all the community can do now is hope and pray that the families of the victims can find peace.
“If you have faith, you can move mountains and you can move forward,” she said.
“Right now, I don’t know how they can get out of that.”
