Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Jefferson Township Police Chief Sean Conrad announce that John Formisano a City of Newark Police Officer, 49, of Jefferson Township, has been charged with first degree Murder, first degree Attempted Murder, and other related crimes, in connection with a shooting that occurred on Mirror Place in Jefferson Township.
Prosecutor Knapp said, at approximately 11:21 PM, members of the Jefferson Township Police Department were dispatched to 1 Mirror Place for 911 calls of shots fired.
According to Prosecutor Knapp, upon arrival, first, responding officers located a deceased woman’s body laying on the front porch steps of 5 Mirror Place.
The deceased woman was subsequently identified as Christine Formisano, 37, of Jefferson Township.
A second victim, male, 40, was located with multiple gunshot wounds inside the residence of 1 Mirror Place.
Officials say at approximately 2:00 AM, the Defendant, who was identified as the deceased victim’s estranged husband, was located in a parking lot in Livingston.
The Defendant was taken into the custody by law enforcement in Livingston.
The firearm believed to be used by the Defendant to inflict the injuries was collected from the Defendant’s motor vehicle, also located in Livingston.
Investigators determined that the Defendant had driven to 1 Mirror Place shortly before the first 911 call was received.
As a result of the investigation into this incident, the Defendant was charged with Murder, a crime of the first degree; Attempted Murder, a crime of the first degree; two counts of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, crimes of the second degree; and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, crimes of the second degree.
Members of the Jefferson Township Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office–Crime Scene Investigations and Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Morris County Department of Law and Public Safety, and the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office all took part in this investigation.
If anyone has any information related to this investigation, they are encouraged to call the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200, or the Jefferson Township Police Department at 973-697-1300.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, this Defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.