Support For Family After NJ Cop's Alleged Murder Of Wife (UPDATE)

JEFFERSON, NJ — Support has been pouring in from around the state for young Jefferson siblings' whose police officer father is accused of shooting their mother dead over the weekend.

Rachel and Ryan Formisano were home when their father, Newark police Lt. John Formisano is accused of shooting their mother, Christie Solaro, to death and seriously injuring her boyfriend. Neither child was physically harmed, but following the family-shattering tragedy, the children, "have a rough road ahead," a family friend has said.

Miko Velez, a retired police officer who worked with Formisano in Newark, established a GoFundMe account for the children that will only be accessible by their maternal uncle, Mike Solaro.

So far, over $22,000 has been raised in three days to benefit the children, who are currently living with their uncle. The children's pup, Ellie, has been staying with Velez.

"We hope to have Ellie back with the kids within the next week or so. She is a such a sweet dog and full of love. The kids will definitely benefit from having her around," Velez wrote.

Two of Christie Solaro's close friends, Heather and Alyssa, have also been in contact with Velez, he said, writing, "Had great conversations and we are working on getting a unified front to work together for the benefit of the children."

Velez said the fundraiser was born out of a duty to take care of Ryan and Rachel."John is the brother I never had, and by extension, Christie, was a sister-in-law to me. In that same vein, Rachel and Ryan are my niece and nephew. Johnny and I made a promise to each other more than 20 years ago that should anything happen to us, the other would take care of the family. I am fulfilling that oath," Velez wrote.

John Formisano was taken into custody early Monday morning in a parking lot in Livingston, several hours after he is accused of shooting Christie Solaro dead in the home the couple used to share.

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 had a man in the bedroom he began to "black out," Formisano told police, but that he remembered firing his gun multiple times.

The couple was in the process of a difficult divorce, something Solaro's boyfriend, identified as T.S., was aware of, an affidavid reviewed by Patch said.

T.S. told police that Formisano and Solaro spoke on the phone shortly before her death; just after the call, Solaro said she saw a flashlight outside the home and warned T.S. that Formisano was on the property.

Shorting after noticing the flashlight, Formisano is accused of shooting Solaro and T.S. Solaro fled the home, and Formisano shot her dead on a neighbor's front porch several houses over, police said.

Formisano is currently in a psychiatric hospital in Boonton. Read More: 'Black Out:' Chilling Details In NJ Cop's Alleged Murder Of Wife

Velez provided this information about how the children will be able to access the funds:

In the short term, I have opened an account at my bank, USAA, and ordered an ATM card for Mike as he will be the only person with access to the account. This account is solely for the monies collected and for Mike to use for the children. He will receive copies of all bank statements, and when the GoFundMe campaign ends and I close the account, he will have all the reports for his record keeping. Once the dust settles, the plan is for Mike to open Custodial Accounts and transfer the monies there for the 1st year expenses. I would expect this phase to be completed within the next two weeks. I have spoken to financial advisors and the recommendation would be to put any overages into a Trust for the children for the long term. Mike will set that up as soon as he can with an attorney.

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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