Teacher accused of sexually assaulting two students multiple times in disturbing lawsuit
A high school teacher has been accused of having sexual relationships with two of her students in an incredibly disturbing lawsuit.
Julie Rizzitello, 36, of Brick Township, New Jersey, resigned from her role at Wall High School earlier this year after she was accused of engaging in sexual activity with a teenage student.
After the allegation came to light, the former English teacher was charged again after another alleged sexual relationship with a second student, which is believed to have started in 2017.
On July 17 of this year, she was officially charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of third-degree witness tampering, and and three counts of fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact.
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A statement from court reads: "On multiple occasions in Brick Township, Rizzitello allegedly engaged in various sexual acts with the second victim."
These new charges follow Rizzitello's arrest on July 3 for the first alleged relationship.
Rizzitello and an 18-year-old student allegedly had several sexual encounters between April and June of this year. As well as this, she is accused of having a sexual encounter in his car on May 14.
Rizzitello also used social media to contact her victim, and the two allegedly exchanged 'numerous communications', which included sending the teenager nude pictures.
Whilst she was allegedly committing these crimes, she got married to Joseph Rizzitello on June 30, 2017. But reports say it is unclear whether the two are still married.
According to public pension records, the former teacher had been working in schools since 2013 and taught ninth grade English and SAT prep at Wall High, earning an annual salary of $62,000.
But this isn't the only case that has been brought to light in recent years in New Jersey.
Special education teacher Allison Havemann-Niedrach, who was described as a 'passionate' worker, was arrested on June 29 for allegedly sexually assaulting one of her students.
The 43-year-old worked at Freehold Intermediate School. It is not yet clear how many times she allegedly sexually assaulted her student, or the age of the victim.
However, the school only teaches students who range from sixth to eighth grade.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Mia Williams