'Forever Loved': Slain Jefferson Woman Remembered By Family

JEFFERSON, NJ — A Jefferson woman shot and killed by her estranged police officer husband was a "beautiful, caring and loving mother," family members wrote in an obituary remembering her.

Christie Solaro-Formisano, 37, was killed last weekend when police say her estranged husband, Newark police Lt. John Formisano, shot her several times. The couple share two children, Ryan and Rachel, whom family members describe as Solaro-Formisano's "whole world."

"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."

Solaro-Formisano was born in Ridgewood and lived in Garfield for most of her life, before moving to Jefferson in 2012. Her love of children went beyond just her own two: Solaro-Formisano previously worked as an Assistant Behavior Specialist at the Morris School District.

Memorial services for Solaro-Formisano were held on Monday morning.

In lieu of flowers, the Solaro family asks that donations be made to a fundraiser to benefit the two children.

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. Read More: Support For Family After NJ Cop's Alleged Murder Of Wife

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

Velez said the fundraiser was born out of a duty to take care of Ryan and Rachel."This money is being raised for one reason and one reason only - Rachel and Ryan’s benefit. Not one red cent is going to [Formisano's] mother or to any other entity," Velez said.

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. Read More:'Black Out:' Chilling Details In NJ Cop's Alleged Murder Of Wife

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 Solaro-Formisano's boyfriend, identified as T.S., was aware of, an affidavit reviewed by Patch said.

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.

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