A former Wall Township High School English teacher was sentenced to 10 years in state prison after admitting she sexually assaulted two students in separate incidents over several years, prosecutors said.
The case drew renewed attention to how schools, parents and police handle allegations that involve a trusted adult and teenagers who may be reluctant to report abuse. Prosecutors said the teacher used grooming tactics to isolate and control the students, then attempted to interfere with the investigation by asking both to delete evidence from their phones. The sentence also includes lifetime parole supervision and registration as a sex offender, reflecting the lasting restrictions New Jersey courts can impose in cases involving abuse of authority.
Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley sentenced Julie Rizzitello, 37, of Brick Township on Wed., Feb. 11, 2026, after she pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual assault, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said. The 10-year term will be served in New Jersey state prison. Under the sentence, Rizzitello will be placed on Parole Supervision for Life, must register under Megan’s Law, is barred from contacting the victims, and must permanently forfeit her teaching position, prosecutors said. O’Malley rejected a defense request for a shorter prison term, prosecutors said, after weighing aggravating factors against a single mitigating factor and citing the impact of the crimes on the victims.
Prosecutors said the criminal conduct involved two victims. One student met Rizzitello when he was a freshman, and the other met her when he was a junior, the prosecutor’s office said. Investigators said the relationships did not begin as overtly sexual. Instead, prosecutors said, Rizzitello initially asked to spend time with the students alone and developed what appeared to be a casually friendly connection before the contact escalated into sexual activity. The assaults with each student lasted several months, prosecutors said, and took place across multiple settings tied to her daily life, including her home, a vehicle, and her family’s business.
According to the prosecutor’s office, much of the sexual activity occurred in three locations: Rizzitello’s home in Brick, a vehicle at a Wall Township parking lot, and a bagel shop in Belmar owned by her family. Prosecutors said each student was employed at the bagel shop at Rizzitello’s suggestion, a detail investigators said helped show how she maintained access and influence. The prosecutor’s office did not identify the victims or provide additional personal details about them, consistent with typical practice in cases involving minors or young victims of sexual crimes.
Investigators said the case was built through a joint effort that included the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Bureau and the Wall Township Police Department. Prosecutors said the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Brick Township Police and other agencies assisted. The prosecutor’s office credited Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Jose I. Rodriguez and Wall Township Police Detective Devin Corso with leading the investigation. Prosecutors did not lay out a full timeline of when each assault occurred in their sentencing announcement, but said the conduct stretched across several years and involved separate victims at different stages of high school.
Rizzitello was arrested without incident in July 2024, prosecutors said. Before being indicted, she entered guilty pleas in August 2025 to two counts of second-degree sexual assault, prosecutors said. In the sentencing announcement, prosecutors emphasized not only the sexual assaults but also what they described as attempts to undermine the investigation. Prosecutors said that while the case was still being investigated, Rizzitello contacted both victims and asked them to delete evidence from their personal electronic devices. Investigators did not specify in the public announcement what evidence was targeted, but the allegation was cited as part of the broader pattern of manipulation prosecutors said defined the case.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, in a statement released after sentencing, described the conduct as a “textbook” example of grooming and said the behavior was calculated rather than impulsive. Santiago said the assaults were “not isolated incidents” and involved “tactics of isolation, manipulation, and control” for Rizzitello’s benefit. He said the harm was compounded because it was inflicted on “young minds” she had been trusted to support in her role as a teacher. Prosecutors have repeatedly framed cases like this as a breach of trust that can cause long-term emotional and psychological damage, even when the victims are teenagers rather than young children.
Wall Township Police Chief Sean O’Halloran also issued a statement emphasizing the role of victims and community members who reported concerns. O’Halloran said it is difficult for victims to come forward when the accused is in a position of authority and trust, and he credited the victims’ willingness to report the crimes as central to the outcome. He said the police department remains committed to investigating allegations and supporting victims, and he praised investigators for what he described as diligence and professionalism throughout the case. Prosecutors said the case was handled by Assistant Prosecutor Keri-Leigh Schaefer. Court records and statements also identified defense attorney Mitch Ansell as Rizzitello’s lawyer.
The sentence places Rizzitello under strict, long-term supervision even after she completes her prison term. Parole Supervision for Life, a sentence component used in many sexual assault cases in New Jersey, can include monitoring and conditions that restrict where a person lives, works and travels. Megan’s Law registration requires the offender to remain on a sex-offender registry, and prosecutors said the judge ordered her to permanently forfeit her teaching position, cutting off her ability to return to the classroom. Prosecutors also said she is barred from contacting the victims, a standard protection designed to prevent intimidation or continued manipulation.
The case’s legal posture is now largely settled, with the guilty pleas and sentence closing the criminal prosecution in Monmouth County Superior Court. Authorities did not announce any additional charges against other individuals, and the prosecutor’s office did not indicate that further investigations are pending. As of Saturday, the prosecutor’s office had not announced an appeal, and no future court dates were listed in the sentencing statement. The next major milestones, officials said, will involve processing Rizzitello into the state prison system and imposing the conditions tied to registration and lifetime supervision.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 14, 2026.