Nine-year-old boy found dead inside burning car behind NJ high school, father charged

Alyssa Guzman
·2 min read
The burnt spot where the car was behind the school, left. The school and sign, right.
The burnt spot where the car was behind the school, left. The school and sign, right.

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.

The unidentified boy, nine, was found dead inside the burnt car behind Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey late Thursday night. Alexander Lewis / MyCentralJersey / USA TODAY NETWORK
The unidentified boy, nine, was found dead inside the burnt car behind Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey late Thursday night. Alexander Lewis / MyCentralJersey / USA TODAY NETWORK

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.

His father, Manuel Rivera, 43, was found outside the vehicle with a self-inflicted wound and burns on his body, according to Sayreville Police Department. Alexander Lewis / MyCentralJersey / USA TODAY NETWORK
His father, Manuel Rivera, 43, was found outside the vehicle with a self-inflicted wound and burns on his body, according to Sayreville Police Department. Alexander Lewis / MyCentralJersey / USA TODAY NETWORK
Rivera was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to be treated for his life-threatening injuries.
Rivera was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to be treated for his life-threatening injuries.
After an initial investigation, Rivera was charged with second-degree aggravated arson. Additional charges are pending autopsy results.
After an initial investigation, Rivera was charged with second-degree aggravated arson. Additional charges are pending autopsy results.