FREEHOLD — Former Wall High School teacher and Brick Township resident Julie Rizzitello, who had been in Monmouth County jail since her July 3 arrest on charges related to having sexual relationships with two students, was granted release during a detention hearing on Tuesday.
Rizzitello was given “release with level one monitoring,” presiding state Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux said.
“I don’t find that there’s a risk to the overall community,” Lemieux said. “But I do find if I put the restrictions on you, that you will follow them.”
After she was arrested at her Brick Township home on July 3, she was charged with two counts of sexual assault, witness tampering and three counts of criminal sexual contact. She was later charged with additional charges of sexual assault and witness tampering on July 16 when she last appeared in court.
Rizzitello was represented in court Tuesday by Charles Uliano, of Chamlin, Uliano & Walsh, in West Long Branch.
Uliano said, “She’s 36 years old. No prior criminal record. She was a teacher for 10 years. Married with two young children, 3 and 4…and she has longstanding ties to the local community. Objectively looking at this, she is certainly not a risk to the community at all.”
Judge Lemieux detailed several rules Rizzitello will follow upon her release, including barring her from having contact or working with any minors while she awaits trial. She also is not to set foot on Wall High School premises or to have any contact with the two victims directly or through a third party. The judge will require telephonic reporting once per month and that she pursue psychological or psychosexual treatment. She has been directed to refrain from excessive use of alcohol or narcotics and not to possess any firearms or weapons.
“We’re happy with the decision,” Uliano told The Coast Star after the hearing. “And we’re planning on a vigorous defense.”
The case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Keri-Leigh Schaefer, who confirmed the county sought detention under all five charges.
Schaefer said in court, “She was in a position of power, trust and authority over young students. She abused that position by preying upon and exploiting schoolchildren for her own sexual gratification. Teachers are supposed to be role models, leaders. They are supposed to guide their students … In this case, this defendant has exhibited a pattern of predatory behavior.”
Schaefer declined to comment further after the hearing.
Judge Lemieux disclosed how the investigation came to be in summary. Wall Township Public Schools Director of Human Resources Michael Scarano notified Wall Township Police Department’s detective bureau to report the relationship between Rizzitello and the student after having been notified by an employee from the district. Judge Lemieux went on to say that the employee who reported the relationship to Scarano was informed of the activity by a parent of another individual, who happens to be “close friends” with one of the victims.
The judge said the most-recent victim and the “close friend” worked together at a local business, which is owned and operated by Rizzitello’s family.
Judge Lemieux said that it was found that before her arrest, on July 2, Rizzitello had contacted her victims, requesting they delete the contents of their phones; she had sent them nude photographs of herself, as well as inappropriate text messages.
Rizzitello submitted her letter of resignation to Wall Township Public Schools prior to her arrest.
The court conducted a public safety assessment on Rizzitello, Judge Lemieux said, which is a pretrial study done to those who have been arrested and are pending disposition. The nine risk factors used in the study are age at current arrest, current violent offense, pending charge at the time of the offense, prior disorderly persons conviction, prior indictable conviction, prior violent conviction, prior failure to appear pretrial in past two years, prior failure to appear pretrial older than two years and prior sentence to incarceration.
On a grading scale of said factors from one to six, with six being the highest risk of endangerment and one being the lowest, Rizzitello scored a one on all categories.
If Rizzitello is convicted on any sexual assault charge, Judge Lemieux said, she could face roughly five to 10 years in state prison. It has not yet been announced when the trial process will begin.
Rizzitello was a ninth-grade English teacher, according to a now-removed webpage on Wall Public Schools’ website. The page also says she served as an advisor for Wall High School’s class of 2026, Peer Leadership and Heroes and Cool Kids clubs. Public records show that she started working for the Wall Township Board of Education in September 2014, and had an annual salary of $63,175 in 2023.
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