Father took son after domestic dispute, drove to school, set the vehicle on fire

Sayreville resident Manuel Rivera, 43, has been charged with murder, arson and other offenses after his son was found dead in a burning car that had allegedly been doused in gasoline.

Police responding to a report of a fire at Sayreville War Memorial High School shortly before 10:45 p.m. on Thursday found Rivera suffering from burn injuries and a self-inflicted wound, standing next to the burning car. 

Around the same time the fire was reported, police were also called to a local residence regarding a domestic dispute. 

Rivera took the boy following a domestic dispute with the child’s mother at the couple’s home on Eisenhower Drive in Sayreville, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Rivera, who was being treated for his injuries at an area hospital, has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree aggravated arson, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree desecration of human remains.

The 9-year-old was a student at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, according to Sayreville Superintendent Richard Labbe.

According to a school board meeting agenda, Rivera was hired by the district in January as a part-time cafeteria worker and driver.

Mayor Kennedy O’Brien expressed his condolences in a statement.

authorities said, according to NJ.com, ABC 7 NY and NBC New York.

The nature of his wound was not immediately clear.

The car Rivera was standing nearby the outlets reported. Authorities discovered the body of his 9-year-old son inside the car.