Cranford Community Mourns Teen Girl Killed in Tragic Crash
On Friday morning, many people gathered at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Union to mourn Maria Niotis, one of two Cranford teens who died in a horrible accident earlier this week. Residents, churchgoers, and their families mourned and supported each other.
The church’s front had Maria’s white coffin. The Greek flag and red roses covered it. The service was largely Greek. Her family was grieved but didn’t speak at the service. Everyone in church heard her mother sobbing. This church had many young people, therefore the Very Rev. Archimandrite Philotheos Tomczewski advised them to pray to feel stronger. He assured them that faith and community may help, but this grief is unavoidable.
Monday’s Burnside Avenue crash in Cranford killed Maria and her friend Isabella Salas, 17. Victor P. Battiloro, 17, of Garwood allegedly committed two first-degree murders. The catastrophe was planned, according to police and victims’ families. They say Battiloro hit the girls at 70 mph. Since Battiloro fled the crime site before being caught, Cranford residents are disturbed and angry.
After Maria’s wake, Foulla Niotis addressed the crowd. She thought Maria was a nice, hopeful young woman. But her daughter wants to be a makeup artist for more than simply beauty. She also wants people to see their best. Maria started her first job at a local restaurant weeks before she died. Planning for the future excited her because she wanted to start her own business.
Maria’s neighbors, friends, and company owners said she was a hardworking teen discovering her life and changing others’. Her abrupt death saddens the community, and many can’t understand how such a bright future ended so violently.
Family and friends mourn, but Battiloro’s case continues. Many questions arise concerning what transpired that day that murdered so many. Though Maria’s family will suffer greatly, her mother swore to always laugh, dream, and feel her spirit.
Sources
NJ Advance Media
Fox 5 New York
