A 17-year-old driver is facing murder charges in the hit-and-run deaths of two teenage girls who were riding their e-bikes home Monday night in their Cranford neighborhood.

The male teenager from Garwood hasn't been identified, but family and friends of the victims, Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, both also 17, allege one of the girls had been stalked by the driver in the weeks leading up to her death, claiming the incident was no accident but a premeditated attack that had allegedly been plotted for months.

Neighbors reportedly said both local law enforcement and the school district had been notified about the stalking.

Meanwhile, the deadly incident comes on the heels of two other young e-bike riders who were killed in two separate crashes, though authorities say no foul play was involved there.

A 13-year-old was hit by a landscaping truck in Scotch Plains, and a 22-year-old was hit by a van in Orange when police say he crossed into opposing traffic.

Those incidents are adding to mounting pressure on local and state leaders to address what officials say is a dangerous and fast-growing trend of traffic accidents involving e-bike riders.

Senate President Nick Scutari this week held a press conference in Scotch Plains where he renewed calls for lawmakers to support new e-bike safety regulations given the dramatic increase in their use.

Scutari says he's been working on legislation for years, but it's hit opposition.

He wants to update licensing, classification and training requirements, among other things.

We're in a new era of e-bike usage.

Their popularity is skyrocketing.

They're more affordable, they're faster, they're more powerful than we've ever seen before.

And their risks have increased to those on the roadways and more particularly those that are using them.

And I think part of the legislation has to be a campaign to make sure that people understand that they're on the roadway and what is required of you when you're riding an e-bike versus a regular pedal bike.

And these injuries and fatalities in my estimation are going to continue to rise if we don't do anything about it.

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