A married special education teacher from Illinois broke down in tears upon learning she was charged with s*xually assaulting a 15-year-old student. Intense bodycam footage from her arrest captures the moment she realized the seriousness of the allegations.
Christina Formella, 30, sobbed uncontrollably as she was placed in the back of a Downers Grove Police vehicle on March 16. The footage, shared by the YouTube channel Ape Huncho, shows her gasping for breath and crying into her cuffed hands.
“Oh my God. What the f–k?” she repeatedly exclaimed, rocking back and forth with her knees drawn to her chest. Overwhelmed, she told the officers, “I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” prompting them to quickly provide a bag and towels.
Formella, who taught special education at Downers Grove South High School, was arrested on allegations of having molested a 15-year-old student she had tutored and coached in soccer two years prior. Investigators found explicit text messages exchanged between Formella and the boy, in which they expressed love for one another and discussed encounters in a classroom setting.
In one message, she allegedly texted, “I love you sooooo much baby… Even though this morning was short, it was perfect.” At the time these messages were sent, she was 28 years old.
The situation came to light when the boy’s mother discovered the messages while setting up a new phone for her son. He admitted to the alleged relationship, which he claimed to have ended, leading to police involvement.
Authorities stopped Formella’s vehicle in a Chicago suburb while she was driving with her husband. Bodycam footage shows her looking confused when asked to exit the car.
“You can just grab whatever you need,” an officer told her after confirming her identity.
“Whatever I need?” she asked, visibly disoriented. Her husband, equally shocked, questioned, “Is she going somewhere?”
The officer simply replied, “Yeah, we’re going to explain everything to you,” before placing her in handcuffs and escorting her to the squad car.
In a state of panic, she asked, “Is my husband coming with? Am I in trouble? I am so lost right now.” Officers informed her that she was being detained for an investigation and that more information would be provided at the station.
During police questioning, Formella claimed she was being blackmailed by the student and insisted that her appearance had led to her being targeted.
“She alleged that the boy had taken her phone while it was unattended, entered her passcode, sent messages to himself, then deleted them from her phone to use as blackmail,” court documents reveal. “[Formella claimed] everyone comes after her because she is attractive and described herself as a caring person who cared too much about [the boy].”
Formella faces two counts of aggravated criminal s*xual assault and has been released on the condition that she refrain from entering school grounds or contacting minors. She has been placed on paid leave from her teaching position.
Social media posts indicate that Formella and her husband, a former student-athlete from Concordia University, were married as recently as August. She started teaching at Downers Grove South High School in 2020 and obtained her teaching license in 2017.
The community is still reeling from the shocking allegations against the once-respected educator.
