Police calls reveal teen accused of killing Cranford girls had history of violence

✅ Family outraged over newly revealed police calls about suspect's violent behavior

✅ Records show parents sought police help four times as teen grew 'violent'

✅ Victims’ family questions why calls were not known until now

CRANFORD — The parents of a 17-year-old who is accused of fatally mowing down two girls at 70 mph had called police four times in August about their son becoming violent, according to NJ.com.

Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas were sitting on an eBike on Burnside Avenue in Cranford on Sept. 29 when the teen hit them from behind with a Jeep Compass, according to officials. The teen is charged with two counts of first-degree murder as a juvenile.

According to a review of police records by NJ.com, the teen's father, a retired police officer, called police to ask for a supervisor to come to his home seeking advice about some unspecified "juvenile issues."

In the third call on Aug. 24, Jeffrey told police his son had sprayed mace in his face and took his car.

On Aug. 26, his mother called Garwood police to get help finding her son, who had disconnected his phone after his father had kicked him out of the house.

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Teen linked to two swatting incidents targeting victim’s family

In September, the teen instigated two swatting incidents against Maria Niotis' family, according to their attorney Brent Bramnick. In one livestreamed video, which has since been taken down, he ordered pizzas for cash on delivery to their home. In the second, Maria's mother Foulla Niotis said the teen was outside her home and was released by police to his father.

Bramnick said the calls reported by NJ.com have raised serious concerns about the suspect's behavior in the weeks before the deaths of the girls. The Niotis family is upset that the information was not made public until now.

"Now we have more incidents prior to the swatting, prior to to the incident itself, and we want to know what's going on. What did they do?" Bramnick told New Jersey 101.5. "It does cause further concern that this juvenile was released to his father when, based upon this article, it appears that prior to that, there were already these actions going on."

Bramnick said the 60-day deadline has passed for Union County Prosecutor William Reynolds to apply for the charges to be waived up to an adult level. Because it's still a juvenile case, the public will not know until possibly February if the waiver was approved.

"The family hopes the decision is to treat this matter as an adult matter," Bramnick said.

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