A former New Jersey high school teacher was sentenced to 10 years in state prison after admitting she sexually assaulted two students she had groomed, including encounters prosecutors said took place at her family’s bagel shop. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said Julie Rizzitello, 37, was sentenced on Wednesday in Monmouth County Superior Court.
Rizzitello sentenced and barred from teaching
Prosecutors said Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley ordered Rizzitello to serve a 10-year prison term and imposed parole supervision for life. The court also required her to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law, have no contact with the victims, and permanently forfeit her teaching position, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Guilty plea covered assaults in 2017 and 2024
Rizzitello, who taught at Wall High School in Wall Township, pleaded guilty in September to two counts of second-degree sexual assault tied to incidents in 2017 and 2024, prosecutors said.
Authorities said the sexual acts occurred at multiple locations, including Rizzitello’s residence in Brick, inside a vehicle in a Wall Township parking lot, and at a bagel shop in Belmar owned by her family, where both victims worked at her suggestion.
Investigators describe grooming and attempts to erase evidence
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation found Rizzitello met one victim when he was a freshman and the other when he was a junior, then sought time alone with them and developed relationships that escalated to sexual activity. Prosecutors said she later contacted both victims and asked them to delete evidence from electronic devices while the investigation was underway.
In a statement released with the sentencing announcement, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said the conduct reflected grooming and that the harm was compounded by Rizzitello’s position as an educator. Police officials also credited the victims for reporting the abuse, prosecutors said.
Rizzitello was arrested in July 2024 after authorities were notified of a relationship with a student, prosecutors said, and the case ultimately led to the additional victim coming forward.