Wall High School teacher charged with sexually assaulting student

WALL TOWNSHIP — A Wall High School teacher is in Monmouth County Jail on charges of sexual assault and other crimes stemming from a relationship she began with a student earlier this year, authorities said.

Julie Rizzitello, 36, of Brick, who resigned from her teaching position earlier this week, was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of sexual assault and three counts of criminal sexual contact, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago and Wall Police Chief Sean O’Halloran said in a joint news release.

Rizzitello was also accused of pressuring witnesses, according to a press release.

The investigation revealed that Rizzitello committed various sexual acts with the victim on multiple occasions in at least three jurisdictions — Belmar and Wall in Monmouth County and Brick in Ocean County — and the criminal conduct began earlier this year, the news release said.

As a result, Rizzitello faced charges in both Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

The case was investigated by the Crime Victims Unit led by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Wall Police Department, with assistance from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Brick Police Department.

They ask anyone with information about Rizzitello’s activities to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Jose Rodriguez at 800-533-7443 or Wall City Detective Devin Corso at 732-449-4500.

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Rizzitello will face an upcoming hearing where a decision will be made whether he will remain in jail without bail while awaiting trial in the case.

Retirement records show she started working for the Wall Township Board of Education in 2013 and in 2023 was earning $63,175 annually.

Rizzitello is the second Monmouth County teacher arrested in a week on charges of having sex with a student.

Allison Havemann-Niedrach, a 43-year-old teacher at Freehold Intermediate School, was arrested June 26 and charged with aggravated sexual assault and child endangerment.

Authorities said an investigation showed that Havemann-Niedrach had been having a sexual relationship with the student since the beginning of the year.

Havemann-Niedrach is also being held at the Monmouth County Jail. She will have a hearing Friday to determine whether she will remain there without bail while she awaits her trial in that case.

Kathleen Hopkins, a New Jersey reporter since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and nearly every major murder trial in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at [email protected].