Vigil For Slain Jefferson Woman This Thursday

JEFFERSON, NJ — A vigil for Christie Solaro-Formisano, a Jefferson woman who was slain outside of her home earlier this month, will be held this Friday in Jefferson.

The vigil will take place at the gazebo by the library at 8 p.m. There will also be a grief support group, hosted by the Traumatic Loss Coalition, at the Miltion United Methodist Church Tuesday at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend both events.

Solaro-Formisano, 37, was killed on July 14, when police say her estranged husband, Newark police Lt. John Formisano, shot her several times inside the couple's Mirror Place home, and on a neighbor's front lawn. Solaro-Formisano lived in Jefferson since 2012.

During her time in Jefferson, Solaro-Formisano was deeply involved in her two children's activities, and loved being a mother, her family said.

"Whether it was Girl Scouts, dancing recitals, swim meets or numerous other activities she was always by her children's side loving and supporting them," her obituary reads. "Her home was the place to be on holidays, and she will be forever loved and sorely missed by all of her family and friends."

Private memorial services for Solaro-Formisano were held on Monday morning.

Jefferson Mayor Eric Wilsusen thanked the organizers of the vigil and grief support group, Angela Lamendola and Janet Madonia Boetticher, "for meeting with me today and for putting together a domestic violence awareness campaign tonight to bring awareness to the tragic domestic violence event that occurred in our community this past week."

Wilsusen also extended thanks to the first responders and the affected families.

"Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to the families of the victims and please pray for the residents of the White Rock Community that had to endure and witness this horrific event," he wrote.

Wilsusen's support has extended directly to Solaro-Formisano's children, Rachel and Ryan, whom police say were home at the time of the shooting.

"[Wilsusen] shared how much the community is rallying behind the family and relying on each other for support. So many offers of assistance have come to his office. We are going to stay in contact moving forward. Thank you thank you thank you," family friend Miko Velez wrote in a fundraiser update.

Since their mother's death, Ryan and Rachel have been living with Christie's brother, Mike Solaro. Solaro has been appointed as the children's legal guardian. Eventually, the children's pet dog, Ellie, will also live with Solaro.

The fund for the children has raised over $30,000 towards a $50,000 goal in less than a week. Established by Velez, a retired police officer who worked with Formisano in Newark, the account will only be accessible by Solaro.

John Formisano was taken into custody early last Monday morning in a parking lot in Livingston, several hours after he is accused of shooting Solaro-Formisano dead in the home the couple used to share, and seriously injuring Solaro-Formisano's boyfriend, identified only as T.S.

Formisano told investigators that he'd gone over to the couple's 1 Mirror Place home in the Oak Ridge section of Jefferson Township late Sunday night to drop off a pair of glasses for one of the couples' children. When he began to suspect that Solaro-Formisano had a man in the bedroom he began to "black out," Formisano told police, but that he remembered firing his gun multiple times, killing Solaro-Formisano and injuring her boyfriend.

The couple was in the process of a difficult divorce, something T.S., was aware of, an affidavit reviewed by Patch said.

Read More:

• 'Black Out:' Chilling Details In NJ Cop's Alleged Murder Of Wife
• Support For Family After NJ Cop's Alleged Murder Of Wife
• 'Forever Loved': Slain Jefferson Woman Remembered By Family

Editor's note: If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224.

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