CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • World
  • Innovation
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      FOOD & BEVERAGE
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Beauty
        • Home
        • Pets
        • Kitchen
        • Fitness
        • I'm Looking For
        BEST PICKS
        • Best VPNs
        • Best Gaming PCs
        • Best Air Fryers
        COUPONS
        • Vistaprint Coupons
        • Ulta Coupons
        • Office Depot Coupons
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • Walmart Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE
        Crime & Justice

        N.J. Cop Claims He ‘Blacked Out’ Before Killing Estranged Wife, Shooting Her Boyfriend: Authorities

        PLAYING DEFENSE

        Newark Police Lt. John Formisano told authorities that he does recall “firing his weapon numerous times” at his estranged wife and her new boyfriend, according to an affidavit.

        Pilar Melendez

        Senior National Reporter

        Updated Jul. 17, 2019 3:52PM ET / Published Jul. 17, 2019 2:49PM ET 

        Andrew Burton

        A New Jersey police lieutenant accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife and wounding her new boyfriend Sunday night told authorities he “blacked out” before spraying bullets, according to a probable cause affidavit.

        John Formisano, 49, has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and endangering the welfare of the two children he shared with his 37-year-old wife, Christie Formisano. The story was first reported by NJ.com.

        Shortly before the July 14 shooting, Formisano called his estranged wife at their Newark home, where she was staying with their two children during the couple’s divorce proceedings, an affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast states.

          After the phone call, Christie Formisano told her 40-year-old boyfriend, who was identified in court papers as “T.S.,” that “she saw a flashlight” and believed her husband was near the home. She then “exited the bedroom and locked the door behind her.”

          T.S. told police he then heard her yell “he’s got a gun” and “call 911," before the off-duty Newark police officer “broke down the bedroom door and fired a handgun in his direction, shooting T.S. numerous times” in the thigh, hand, arms, and abdomen,” according to the court papers.

          Both of the couple’s children, who were not identified, were inside the home when the incident occurred.

          Police say Christie Formisano then fled the house and tried to seek refuge in her neighbors’ homes—but her husband chased her down the street, catching her outside the front porch of a house two doors down. That’s where he fatally shot her “multiple times,” authorities said. 

          Formisano, who left the scene and was arrested in a parking lot about 30 miles away, told police that he simply went to the house to “drop off glasses” for one of their kids, as he was living with relatives. 

            “After entering the residence, Formisano stated that he began to suspect that [Christie Formisano] had a male guest in the bedroom, at which point he ‘blacked out,’” the affidavit states. 

            Despite the memory lapse, the 49-year-old police veteran said he “recalls firing his weapon” at his estranged wife and her boyfriend, according to the affidavit. Authorities said that when he was apprehended around 2 a.m., his handgun was found in the trunk of his car.

            Authorities responded to the Newark home after receiving several reports of shots fired at around 11:45 p.m. Officers found Christie Formisano “laying on the front porch steps” of a nearby home, and she later died from gunshot wounds to the abdomen, arm, leg, hand, and head, the affidavit states. Her boyfriend was inside the house with “serious bodily injury,” and his condition was not immediately available.

            John Formisano is being held for psychiatric evaluation, authorities said, and has yet to enter formal pleas to the charges against him. Newark Police told The Daily Beast that the lieutenant, who has been on the force since 1985, has been suspended without pay. 

            It was not immediately clear if Formisano has an attorney. 

              Pilar Melendez

              Senior National Reporter

              @pbmelendezPilar.Melendez@thedailybeast.com

              Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

              READ THIS LIST

              DAILY BEAST
              • Cheat Sheet
              • Politics
              • Crime
              • Entertainment
              • Media
              • World
              • Innovation
              • U.S. News
              • Scouted
              • Travel
              • Subscription
              • Crossword
              • Newsletters
              • Podcasts
              • About
              • Contact
              • Tips
              • Jobs
              • Advertise
              • Help
              • Privacy
              • Code of Ethics & Standards
              • Diversity
              • Terms & Conditions
              • Copyright & Trademark
              • Sitemap
              • Best Picks
              • Coupons:
              • Coupons:
              • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
              • HP Coupon Codes
              • Chewy Promo Codes
              • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
              • NordVPN Coupons
              • JCPenny Coupons
              • Nordstrom Coupons
              • Samsung Promo Coupons
              • Home Depot Coupons
              • Hotwire Promo Codes
              • eBay Coupons
              • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
              © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC