Two Cranford families are mourning an unimaginable loss after 17-year-olds Maria Niotis and Isabella Rose Salas were killed in an alleged hit-and-run Monday evening. For the first time, Niotis’ heartbroken parents spoke publicly after her visitation at Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Union. A long line of people gathered to pray, remember and honor the two young lives lost too soon. Maria’s mother, Fouli Niotis, stood alongside her husband, Sotiri, clutching a tribute for her daughter. “She wasn’t just my daughter, she was my best friend. My sunshine,” said Fouli Niotis. “The kind of girl who could walk into a room and light it up just by being herself.” Maria Niotis, a senior at Cranford High School, had dreams of becoming a makeup artist. She planned on going to cosmetology school when she graduated this school year and then starting her own business. Her mother said she would spend hours watching tutorials and practicing on her friends. But for Maria, it wasn’t just about beauty on the outside.

“It wasn’t just about glam,” Fouli said. “It was about helping people see the beauty in themselves that maybe they had forgotten. She loved deeply, she gave generously, she dreamed boldly.”

Through the grief, Fouli Niotis shared a promise to keep her daughter’s memory alive. “I will miss you every single day for the rest of my life,” she said. “I will picture your smile, hear your laugh in my heart, and carry your dreams in my hands. You wanted to make the world more beautiful and my darling, you did, just by being in it.”

A Mass will take place on Friday at 10 a.m. at the same church as the visitation, with funeral services to follow at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.

Meanwhile, visitation services for Isabella Rose Salas are this Saturday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Dooley Funeral Home in Cranford. Funeral service will take place the following Monday at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.

A 17-year-old boy from Garwood – who officials say was the driver who struck the teens - was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.