The body of a 9-year-old boy was found inside a burning car in New Jersey — and now his father is charged with arson, police said.
Police made the grisly discovery late Thursday night behind Sayreville War Memorial High School, where they found the burnt car.
The boy’s father, Manuel Rivera, 43, was outside the gasoline-doused vehicle with a self-inflicted wound and burns on his body, according to Sayreville Police Department.
Police were called to the scene around 10:45 p.m. after a fire was reported at the school. Rivera’s wife also called cops to report a domestic dispute, which police said led Rivera to flee their Eisenhower Drive home with the 9-year-old boy.
Rivera was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries. He was charged with second-degree aggravated arson. Additional charges are pending autopsy results.
The boy was a student a Sayreville Public Schools and Rivera worked in the school district, according to Superintendent Richard Labbe.
Rivera was hired by the school in December 2023 as a cafeteria worker/driver, according to My Central Jersey.
Labbe encouraged school members to “pray for our student” if they were religious or to send “positive thoughts” to the family.
