What to Know
- News 4 has obtained chilling 911 calls in the case of a veteran NJ police lieutenant who allegedly killed his estranged wife last month
- He also allegedly shot her boyfriend several times; when he was caught, he told cops he "blacked out" when he learned there was a man inside
- John Formisano has been charged with murder, attempted murder, child endangerment and weapons-related offenses
Two 911 calls were made the night a New Jersey police lieutenant allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife last month -- both from neighbors who said they saw her dying on their front steps, according to records obtained by News 4 Tuesday.
"She's dying in front of my house. There's somebody shot on my front steps," said one upset caller. She was so disturbed she wasn't even able at first to say where she lived, identifying the alleged shooter as a Newark cop "who lives on the corner." The 911 dispatcher got the woman to calm down a bit, at which point she said again, "She's dying in front of my house."
The same neighbor told 911 she witnessed the shooting from her window. At the same time, another 911 call came in from another neighbor reporting a woman bleeding on the steps.
"The guy is a Newark cop," the caller said. "My wife saw him in the car in his police uniform. I think he shot his ex-wife."
"He" would turn out to be Newark police Lt. John Formisano, who told authorities after he was captured in his car about three hours after the shooting that he had "blacked out" upon learning his estranged wife had a boyfriend in her bedroom.
He then allegedly shot and killed her at the Mirror Place home in Jefferson, and shot the boyfriend several times, a court affidavit said. According to the affidavit, Formisano had called the house that night, July 14, and talked to his wife, with whom he was going through a divorce.
The wife, Christine Formisano, then told her boyfriend she saw a flashlight outside -- and that it was her husband, the court records say.
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The panicked wife exited the bedroom, locking the door behind her, officials said. The boyfriend, identified as T.S., said he heard Christine yell "he's got a gun" and "call 911" before shots were fired. Formisano then broke down the bedroom door, repeatedly shooting the boyfriend in his thigh, abdomen, arms and hand.
The Formisanos' two children, both under the age of 10, were in the home and nearby as that unfolded, the affidavit said.
Christine Formisano fled the residence soon after, desperately trying to get into neighbors' homes for help as she was badly wounded, the investigation found. A witness said she saw the officer at one of the neighboring homes -- and that she watched him fire his handgun. That was likely when the 911 calls came in.
Three hours later, cops found Formisano, 49, in a Livingston parking lot with his car, a handgun found in the trunk.
Formisano told police he was at the home to drop off a pair of glasses when he suspected there was a man in his wife's bedroom and he "blacked out." He told law enforcement that he remembered firing his gun multiple times at his wife and the boyfriend, who is now recovering from what were serious injuries.
The 24-year police veteran has been charged with murder, attempted murder, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and weapon possession. The name of his attorney wasn't immediately clear.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200 or the Jefferson Township Police Department at 973-697-1300.
