Julie Rizzitello ex Wall Township teacher sentenced to 10 years jail after plea deal admitting to having sex with two students, including getting impregnated by one of them, with sentencing judge branding the former teacher predatory for abusing her position of trust, authority and power and psychologically tormenting her victims in ‘groomed acts’.
A married N.J teacher who was impregnated by one of her students was on Wednesday sentenced to 10 years jail.
Julie Rizzitello, 37, who previously taught at a Wall Township high school was jailed after previously copping to a plea deal in which she admitted to engaging in sexual acts with two students.
According to investigators the female educator met her first victim while he was a freshman at Wall Township High School in New Jersey – inviting him into her classroom during lunch.
Julie Rizzitello, a 37-year-old former English teacher at Wall Township High School in New Jersey, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to s.xally as.ulting two students.
She groomed one victim starting in 2017 when he was a freshman, convincing him to have… pic.twitter.com/pOtGKfNqJz
— Lisa (@MS2PZ) February 13, 2026
Ex Wall Township teacher encouraged student victim to have unprotected sex
Rizzitello reportedly had sex with the teen multiple times between 2017 and 2018.
On one occasion, Rizzitello allegedly encouraged the boy to have unprotected sex with her on her birthday.
She then fell pregnant and was forced to have an abortion, Jersey Shore Online reported.
Monmouth County Judge Jill Grace in handing down her sentence accused Rizzitello of ‘grooming her students’.
‘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.’
Emotional turmoil imparted on student victims
In the aftermath of the ordeal, the teen victim dropped out of college.
A statement from the victim was read in court, stating; ‘No kid should have the feeling of sickening anxiety and panic attacks while just trying to get through school.’
According to prosecutors, Rizzitello met the second victim when he was an 18-year-old junior, engaging in a sexual relationship in the period between April and June 2024.
After initially asking to spend time alone with each victim – developing a friendly relationship – things soon turned sexual.
Prosecutors alleged the sex acts took place across three cities in three separate locations.
These included Rizzitello’s family home, in her car, and at a bagel shop owned by her family.
To make matters worse, both victims were employed by the business at her suggestion.
‘The defendant knew because of her position as a teacher, that these victims were particularly vulnerable,’ prosecutors said.
‘She preyed on them in a safe place, she isolated them.’
Calculated predatory behavior from female teacher
While the investigation was still ongoing, the married teacher contacted both of her victims, asking them to delete any evidence of her crimes from their devices.
‘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,’ Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said in a statement.
In July 2024, Rizzitello, who taught ninth-grade English and SAT prep, was arrested – just days after resigning from her teaching position.
The investigation began after an anonymous tip was received by school officials.
She later pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual assault.
Rizzitello married her husband in 2017 and has two young children of her own.
Her legal team tried to have her sentence reduced to five years, citing her position as a mother and lack of criminal history.
However, this request was denied.
Rizzitello will now be under parole supervision for life and must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.
She is also barred from having any contact with the victims and has been forced to permanently give up teaching.
Wall Township Police Chief Sean O’Halloran labelled it a ‘betrayal of trust’ to both the victims and the school community.
He praised the victims for their courage in coming forward, emphasizing that the protection of youth is a top priority for his department.
