Illinois Special Education Teacher Breaks Down After Learning of Rape Charges Involving Student, 15: 'I'm Gonna Throw Up'

In a shocking turn of events, a married special education teacher from Illinois, Christina Formella, 30, was seen breaking down in tears after being arrested on serious charges of molesting a 15-year-old student. The intense bodycam footage from her arrest on March 16 has surfaced, revealing her emotional state as she was placed in the back of a police car in Downers Grove.

As the footage shows, Formella gasped for air and sobbed uncontrollably, repeating, “Oh my God. What the f—k?” while sitting in the police vehicle with her knees pulled up to her chest. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” she exclaimed, prompting officers to quickly fetch a bag and towels in case she became ill.

Formella, who worked at Downers Grove South High School, was detained following allegations that she had engaged in inappropriate conduct with a student she had tutored and coached in soccer two years prior. The allegations came to light when explicit text messages between Formella and the student were discovered by the boy’s mother while setting up a new phone for him. The messages included declarations of love and explicit discussions about sexual encounters that allegedly took place in a classroom.

One of the texts reportedly sent by Formella read, “I love you sooooo much baby… Even though this morning was short, it was perfect.” This revelation led the boy to confess the relationship to his mother, who subsequently reported the matter to the police.

During the arrest, Formella was pulled over while driving with her husband. She appeared confused when asked to exit the vehicle. “You can just grab whatever you need,” an officer told her after confirming her identity. “Whatever I need?” she questioned, while her husband asked, “Is she going somewhere?” The officer confirmed that they were going to explain everything to her, indicating that she was the subject of an investigation.

“I’m, like, so scared,” a visibly shocked Formella said as she was handcuffed and placed in the back of the squad car. “Is my husband coming with? Am I in trouble? I am so lost right now,” she added, as officers informed her that she was being detained for an investigation and would learn more at the station.

In her police interview, Formella claimed that she was being blackmailed by the student, insisting that she was being targeted due to her looks. According to court documents, she alleged that the boy had accessed her phone without permission, sent messages to his own phone, and deleted them from hers to use as leverage against her.

“She claimed that one day, [the boy] had grabbed her phone unattended, had entered her passcode … had sent the message to his phone, had then deleted the message from her phone, and had saved it to his phone as blackmail,” the documents stated. Formella maintained that she was simply a caring teacher who had been misrepresented.

Following her arrest, Formella was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault. She was released on the condition that she refrain from entering school grounds or having any contact with individuals under the age of 18. Additionally, she was placed on paid leave from her teaching position.

Social media posts reveal that Formella and her husband, who was a student athlete alongside her at Concordia University, were married as recently as August. She had been teaching at Downers Grove High since 2020 and obtained her teaching license in 2017. The unfolding situation has left many in the community shocked and concerned about the implications of such serious allegations against a teacher.

As the investigation continues, the community is left to grapple with the impact of these allegations and the future of the individuals involved. The case raises important questions about the responsibilities of educators and the safety of students in school environments.