Two siblings start petition to lower age for restraining orders after Cranford deaths
This comes after two teens, Isabella Salas and Maria Niotis, were killed late last month while riding an e-bike on Burnside Avenue in Cranford in an apparent hit-and-run crash.
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Two siblings have started an online petition to demand that lawmakers lower the age required for a restraining order to 15 years old in New Jersey.
This comes after two teens, Isabella Salas and Maria Niotis, were killed late last month while riding an e-bike on Burnside Avenue in Cranford in an apparent hit-and-run crash.
Charlotte and Cooper Groll say Niotis and her family tried to file a restraining order against 17-year-old Vincent Battiloro, who was the alleged driver of the car that struck the teens, but they were not able to do so because Battiloro is underage.
Under current state laws, a person must be 18 years old or older to have a restraining order filed against them.
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"We mainly want to lower the restraining orders age to 15 so that teens can file a restraining order and be subject to restraining orders, so that way no more deaths happen," Cooper Groll said.
The siblings also reached out to Gov. Phil Murphy regarding their petition.
A spokesperson for the Murphy administration told News 12, "We must do more to protect our youth and other victims from harm. The Murphy administration has worked to expand access to protective orders so that more victims could seek safety. We are open to expanding these protections further to ensure every victim receives the full protection of the law against offenders."
In the meantime, Charlotte and Cooper hope this petition can lead to change and save more lives in the future.
