A former New Jersey high school English teacher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two students, with a judge revealing during sentencing that she became pregnant by one of the teens.
Julie Rizzitello, 37, was admitted last year to two counts of second-degree sexual assault. Prosecutors said she engaged in “various sexual acts” with two students over extended periods, abusing her position as a teacher at Wall Township High School.
According to investigators, Rizzitello first met one victim when he was a freshman. Authorities said she had sex with him multiple times between 2017 and 2018, including an incident where she allegedly encouraged him to have unprotected sex with her on his birthday. Reports later revealed she became pregnant and had an abortion, allegedly discussing the timeline with the student.
Monmouth County Judge Jill Grace strongly condemned Rizzitello’s actions during the hearing, accusing her of manipulating and targeting vulnerable teenagers. ‘Not only does he have to deal with the fact that he’s groomed throughout his entire high school years, that he was preyed upon by his teacher, whom he loved and trusted … that he was sexually abused by this teacher,’ she said.
‘But now he’s struggling to come to terms with the fact that this individual had an abortion and [he] wasn’t comfortable with it. This is the psychological impact the devastation.’ Prosecutors said Rizzitello reportedly invited the freshman into her classroom during lunch periods, built a relationship through frequent conversations, and even told him she had dreamed about having sex with him.
At sentencing, O’Malley read a statement from the victim describing the emotional fallout. ‘No kid should have the feeling of sickening anxiety and panic attacks while just trying to get through school,’ he wrote. The student reportedly dropped out of college following the scandal.
Authorities also determined that Rizzitello had a sexual relationship with a second student, an 18-year-old, between April and June 2024. Investigators said she had met him earlier when he was a junior. Both victims reportedly worked at her family’s bagel shop.
Prosecutors alleged she had “vaginal and oral sex” with both students in multiple locations, including her home, her vehicle, and even inside the bagel shop while it was open. ‘The defendant knew because of her position as a teacher, that these victims were particularly vulnerable,’ O’Malley said.
‘She preyed on them in a safe place. She isolated them.’ Rizzitello was arrested in 2024 shortly after resigning from her teaching job. Authorities said she later contacted both victims and urged them to delete evidence from their phones.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago described the case as a clear pattern of predatory behavior. ‘These crimes were not isolated incidents constituting moments of poor judgment; they were textbook cases of grooming, involving a defendant who repeatedly leveraged tactics of isolation, manipulation, and control for the sake of her own selfish purposes,’ he said.
‘The egregious nature of the conduct was further compounded by the plain fact that the emotional and psychological harm she inflicted came at the expense of two of the very same young minds she had been entrusted to develop and nurture.’
Rizzitello, who married in 2017 and has two young children, sought leniency from the court. Her defense reportedly asked for a reduced five-year sentence, citing her lack of prior criminal history and her role as a mother. The judge denied the request.
She will serve two 10-year sentences concurrently, remain under parole supervision for life, and must register as a sex offender. ‘This is grooming,’ O’Malley said. ‘It is traditional grooming that I see every week here in this courthouse. This is the behavior of a standard sexual predator. You’re no different.’
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