N.J. dad arrested after 9-year-old son is found dead in burning car outside school

UPDATE (4/1/2024) -- The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office announced the child's father was additionally charged with murder, desecration of human remains, endangering the welfare of a child, and aggravated arson in connection with the boy's death.

SAYREVILLE, N.J. (TCD) -- A 43-year-old father was arrested on suspicion of arson after his 9-year-old son was found deceased inside a burning car late Thursday night.

According to a joint statement by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the Sayreville Police Department, on Thursday, March 28, at 10:45 p.m., police learned about a vehicle on fire outside of Sayreville High School and started responding to the scene. Around the same time, police received another 911 call from a woman on Eisenhower Drive who said she got into a dispute with her husband, Manuel Rivera, and he left with their 9-year-old son. The statement said the two calls were related.

Officials near the high school reportedly found Rivera alive with burns on his body and a self-inflicted injury, and he was transported to a hospital for treatment. Police said his car had been "doused" in gasoline and set on fire. Investigators discovered a young child's body inside the vehicle, but did not release additional details.

Rivera was charged with second-degree arson, though he could face additional charges following the boy's autopsy report.

MyCentralJersey.com reports the body was a student at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. The schools were closed this week due to spring break.

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