In a devastating incident that has shaken the community of Sayreville, New Jersey, a nine-year-old boy lost his life in a car fire believed to be caused by his father following a domestic dispute. The father, identified as 43-year-old Manuel Rivera, survived the blaze and is currently undergoing treatment for his injuries at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

Authorities from the Middlesex County prosecutor's office and the Sayreville Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting a fire near Sayreville War Memorial High School late Thursday night. Simultaneously, they received another call regarding a related domestic dispute from a residence on Eisenhower Drive, with the woman informing officers that Rivera had left the house with their son.

Upon arriving at the scene, police found Rivera on Washington Road near the school. He had suffered burns to his body along with an apparent self-inflicted wound. The car, which had been doused with gasoline, was set ablaze, and the lifeless body of the young boy was discovered inside the vehicle.

Sayreville Mayor Kennedy O'Brien expressed the community's shock and solidarity with the child and his family in a statement released on Friday. Mayor O'Brien assured the residents that the community remains safe despite the tragic incident. "Any time such senseless violence involves one of our children, it gravely affects all of Sayreville," he wrote.

The Sayreville superintendent also addressed the devastating news, confirming that the child attended Wilson School and his father worked for Sayreville Public Schools. The statement urged students and staff to seek counseling services, emphasizing the importance of offering support during this difficult time.

Manuel Rivera has been charged with second-degree aggravated arson, and additional charges may follow pending the results of the boy's autopsy report. Authorities are urging anyone with information or surveillance video of the area to contact either the Sayreville Police Department at 732-727-4444 or the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at 732-745-3289.

The Sayreville community is left grieving as they come to terms with the loss of a young life in such tragic circumstances. The loss of a child deeply impacts the entire community, and their thoughts and prayers are with the boy's family during this unimaginable ordeal.