Incident shakes small US town Two teenagers die on e-bike tour - 17-year-old charged with murder
In a suburb of New Jersey, two teenage girls were hit and killed by a car while on a bike ride. A 17-year-old boy is now on trial for murder.
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- Two 17-year-old girls were hit and fatally injured by an SUV while on a bike ride in Cranford, New Jersey.
- A suspect of the same age has now been charged with two counts of murder.
- The crime shook the small town, where numerous memorial services were held and over 150,000 dollars in donations were collected.
Two best friends, both 17 years old, went on a bike tour in Cranford in the US state of New Jersey a week ago. The trip ended tragically: both were hit by a car and fatally injured. Now a 17-year-old suspect has been charged with two counts of murder, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office.
According to investigators, the accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Monday on a side street in Cranford. The two teenagers were riding an e-bike together when an SUV plowed into them at high speed. The vehicle hit them head-on and the teenage girls were thrown several meters. Both later succumbed to their serious injuries in hospital.
The SUV driver initially fled the scene, but was arrested shortly afterwards in a nearby town. Shortly after the incident, "CNN" reported that it was probably not an accident. Investigators assume that the teenager deliberately hit one of the two schoolgirls. He had allegedly been harassing and stalking her for weeks.
"She was my best friend"
A GoFundMe account to support the families has already raised over 150,000 dollars. Police have not yet released any details about the suspect's motive.
Several funeral services were held in the small town of Cranford, population 24,000. Hundreds of people lit candles and left balloons, stuffed animals and pictures of the two girls. Among the mourners was the mother of one of the victims. "She wasn't just my daughter, she was my best friend," she told CNN.
