Northeast
Mother says alleged stalker who killed her daughter should be tried as an adult
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FIRST ON FOX: It was a horror she says her family predicted.
Foulla Niotis says her 17-year-old daughter, Maria, and Maria’s best friend, Isabella Salas, were run down and killed by Maria’s stalker despite months of complaining to police. Now, sources say speaking out has earned her a death threat as she calls for charges against the juvenile suspect to be transferred to criminal court.
“I would want him to be tried as an adult. He knew what he was doing. I really, truly believe he knew what he was doing,” she told Fox News.
“I want justice for these two beautiful girls. My girls.”
FAMILIES CLAIM TEEN MURDER SUSPECT WAS ‘PLOTTING’ DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN FOR MONTHS BEFORE KILLING TWO GIRLS
Foulla Niotis becomes emotional while speaking about her daughter’s death. (Fox News)
Police say a Jeep, traveling at 70 mph, slammed into the pair as they rode on an e-bike in Cranford, New Jersey, last month. Traffic citations matching the crash identify the driver as 17-year-old Vincent Battiloro, who the Niotis family says had been stalking Maria for three months.
“Nobody said to me if there was anything I could do, restraining orders or anything against him,” she said. “They just kept saying, ‘Oh, he’s a juvenile.’”
Authorities are not releasing the name of the Jeep’s driver but say an underage teen has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Because of the suspect’s age, the case is being handled in the state’s juvenile justice system, which, by law, does not release information publicly about cases.
“I would like to see the truth come out,” says the Niotis family’s lawyer, Brent Bramnick. “We have a grieving family, a grieving mother, two innocent children lost. This is the type of unimaginable circumstances that we all fear, both people with children, people without children, everybody in the community, and the public has questions. And I think they deserve answers, and also the family deserves answers.”
Niotis says there were several swatting incidents to the Cranford, New Jersey, police as well as her home before the crash and that Battiloro had parked in front of their house for months. She says, during one incident, police arrived and permitted Battiloro to drive home.
GRIEVING DAD TORCHES LAWMAKERS FOR ‘SOFT’ CRIME POLICIES THAT FREED REPEAT OFFENDER WHO MURDERED HIS DAUGHTER
Foulla Niotis speaks in an exclusive interview after her daughter Maria and friend Isabella Salas were killed by a stalker, and she urged prosecutors to try the teen suspect as an adult. (Fox News)
“She was so upset. She’s like, ‘How can they let him go? Mommy? How? They should have arrested him. Mom. Why? Why did they let him go? They know what’s going on.’ I said, ‘I don’t know, honey. They said that he’s a juvenile.’”
The law in New Jersey does not permit restraining orders to be placed on minors. A petition on Change.org by two Cranford teenagers has nearly 7,000 signatures asking the state legislature to change the age to obtain one to 15.
“As two teenage residents of Cranford, NJ, we were shocked and saddened by the loss of our peers —and stunned to discover that, in our state, the law does not adequately protect us or our friends from stalkers,” the petition says.
“No other brother, sister, parent, or friend should experience the profound loss our community has faced. Proactive changes like these can save lives.”
In some instances, prosecutors can have the jurisdiction to transfer juvenile cases to adult criminal court depending on the circumstances. Bramnick says if any case fits such a transfer, the deaths of Maria and Isabella warrant an upgrading of the charges.
“There are a number of incidents that occurred prior to the murder of both of the children, and the question we would ask is what was done?” says Bramnick.
The family is now asking New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin to investigate.
MOTHER OF SLAIN DC CONGRESSIONAL INTERN WARNS FUGITIVE SUSPECT ‘CAN’T HIDE FOREVER’
Niotis family lawyer Brent Bramnick speaks about seeking to move the teen suspect’s double murder case to adult court. (Fox News)
The Cranford, New Jersey, Police Department referred requests for comment to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, which is no longer issuing public statements as it investigates the case.
Efforts to obtain comment from the Battiloro family have been unsuccessful.
“She was such a kind-hearted person, and she loved everybody,” Niotis said of Maria. “She tried to help everybody she could, and she didn’t like people being bullied. She didn’t. She stood by people that were hurting. She was just a good-hearted person. She was my sunshine. She would walk into the room, and she would light it up with her smile. And I miss it so much.”
Henry Naccari contributed to this report.
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New York
Driver Who Killed Mother and Daughters Sentenced to 3 to 9 Years
A driver who crashed into a woman and her two young daughters while they were crossing a street in Brooklyn in March, killing all three, was sentenced to as many as nine years in prison on Wednesday.
The driver, Miriam Yarimi, has admitted striking the woman, Natasha Saada, 34, and her daughters, Diana, 8, and Deborah, 5, after speeding through a red light. She had slammed into another vehicle on the border of the Gravesend and Midwood neighborhoods and careened into a crosswalk where the family was walking.
Ms. Yarimi, 33, accepted a judge’s offer last month to admit to three counts of second-degree manslaughter in Brooklyn Supreme Court in return for a lighter sentence. She was sentenced on Wednesday by the judge, Justice Danny Chun, to three to nine years behind bars.
The case against Ms. Yarimi, a wig maker with a robust social media presence, became a flashpoint among transportation activists. Ms. Yarimi, who drove a blue Audi A3 sedan with the license plate WIGM8KER, had a long history of driving infractions, according to New York City records, with more than $12,000 in traffic violation fines tied to her vehicle at the time of the crash.
The deaths of Ms. Saada and her daughters set off a wave of outrage in the city over unchecked reckless driving and prompted calls from transportation groups for lawmakers to pass penalties on so-called super speeders.
Ms. Yarimi “cared about only herself when she raced in the streets of Brooklyn and wiped away nearly an entire family,” Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn district attorney, said in a statement after the sentencing. “She should not have been driving a car that day.”
Mr. Gonzalez had recommended the maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison.
On Wednesday, Ms. Yarimi appeared inside the Brooklyn courtroom wearing a gray shirt and leggings, with her hands handcuffed behind her back. During the brief proceedings, she addressed the court, reading from a piece of paper.
“I’ll have to deal with this for the rest of my life and I think that’s a punishment in itself,” she said, her eyes full of tears. “I think about the victims every day. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about what I’ve done.”
On the afternoon of March 29, a Saturday, Ms. Yarimi was driving with a suspended license, according to prosecutors. Around 1 p.m., she turned onto Ocean Parkway, where surveillance video shows her using her cellphone and running a red light, before continuing north, they said.
At the intersection with Quentin Road, Ms. Saada was stepping into the crosswalk with her two daughters and 4-year-old son. Nearby, a Toyota Camry was waiting to turn onto the parkway.
Ms. Yarimi sped through a red light and into the intersection. She barreled into the back of the Toyota and then shot forward, plowing into the Saada family. Her car flipped over and came to a rest about 130 feet from the carnage.
Ms. Saada and her daughters were killed, while her son was taken to a hospital where he had a kidney removed and was treated for skull fractures and brain bleeding. The Toyota’s five passengers — an Uber driver, a mother and her three children — also suffered minor injuries.
Ms. Yarimi’s car had been traveling 68 miles per hour in a 25 m.p.h. zone and showed no sign that brakes had been applied, prosecutors said. Ms. Yarimi sustained minor injures from the crash and was later taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
The episode caused immediate fury, drawing reactions from Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Eric Adams, who attended the Saadas’s funeral.
According to NYCServ, the city’s database for unpaid tickets, Ms. Yarimi’s Audi had $1,345 in unpaid fines at the time of the crash. On another website that tracks traffic violations using city data, the car received 107 parking and camera violations between June 2023 and the end of March 2025. Those violations, which included running red lights and speeding through school zones, amounted to more than $12,000 in fines.
In the months that followed, transportation safety groups and activists decried Ms. Yarimi’s traffic record and urged lawmakers in Albany to pass legislation to address the city’s chronic speeders.
Mr. Gonzalez on Wednesday said that Ms. Yarimi’s sentence showed “that reckless driving will be vigorously prosecuted.”
But outside the courthouse, the Saada family’s civil lawyer, Herschel Kulefsky, complained that the family had not been allowed to speak in court. “ They are quite disappointed, or outraged would probably be a better word,” he said, calling the sentence “the bare minimum.”
“I think this doesn’t send any message at all, other than a lenient message,” Mr. Kulefsky added.
Boston, MA
‘Game-changer’ as Michelin Guide recommends Boston-area restaurants
Boston finally has its first Michelin star.
311 Omakase in the South End received one star at Michelin’s Northeast Cities ceremony in Philadelphia Tuesday night. The 10-seat restaurant is tucked away in a basement, and the price starts at $250 per person. It was the only restaurant to receive a star in Boston’s inaugural year with the Michelin Guide.
“It’s a starting point. It’s going to build momentum for us,” said David O’Donnell, vice president of communications for Meet Boston.
Meet Boston was influential in bringing the Michelin Guide to Boston, but would not disclose how much the organization paid for it.
“Any recognition you get from Michelin is a game-changer, not only for those restaurants and chefs, but for the destination,” O’Donnell said.
The legendary recognition goes to 311 Omakase on Tremont Street in the city’s South End.
Six restaurants received Bib Gourmand awards recognizing high-quality food at a reasonable price, including Bar Volpe and Fox & the Knife in South Boston, both owned by Karen Akunowicz.
“I want to cry. I mean, I was shocked, and I still am,” said Akunowicz. “For me, that was like getting three stars. Our teams work tirelessly to bring excellent food and amazing hospitality experiences to the folks in Boston and beyond.”
In Cambridge, three restaurants — Jahunger, Pagu, and Sumiao Hunan Kitchen — also earned Bib Gourmands, along with Mahaniyom in Brookline.
On top of that, 20 eateries were named Recommended Restaurants, including Select Oyster Bar in Boston’s Back Bay.
“We try and serve the best seafood we can get our hands on, and if it’s not top-shelf, A+ grade, we don’t let it in the door,” said Benjamin Sandrof, a bartender at Select Oyster Bar.
Toro in the South End also earned the honor of Recommended Restaurant after two decades in the neighborhood.
“This long in, we’re like, ‘Who would ever even recognize us for what we’re doing?’ Because there’s so many new, great chefs in Boston, and we’re not the new kid on the block anymore, and it’s just so nice that people still notice the effort,” said Ken Oringer, the chef and owner.
See the full list of Boston-area restaurants recognized in the Michelin Guide.
Pittsburg, PA
Axolotl found in Pennsylvania waterway
An aquatic creature only found in Mexico City was discovered in a Pennsylvania waterway.
Buzz N’ B’s Aquarium & Pet Shop posted on Facebook that somebody brought them an axolotl after finding her swimming in Walnut Creek near Lake Erie. They shared a photo of the axolotl in a tray of water near snow and leaves.
“No domesticated animal can be safely released outside — not even aquatic ones,” the pet shop wrote. “They depend on proper water quality, temperature, and care to survive.”
According to media reports, the axolotl was medicated for a fungal infection but ultimately died.
What is an axolotl?
Axolotls are only found in waterways in Mexico City. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that there are only about 50 to 1,000 mature axolotls in the wild. They’re considered critically endangered.
According to the Natural History Museum in London, axolotls are known as a conservation paradox since they’re almost extinct in the wild, yet they’re widely distributed in pet shops and labs throughout the world. Axolotls are kept as pets, and they’re studied by scientists who want to understand their ability to regenerate body parts. But experts say the captive population is very inbred, meaning there isn’t much genetic diversity, and they’re vulnerable to disease.
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