Police ID Body Found In Vehicle At Manalapan Retention Basin

MANALAPAN, NJ — The man found dead inside a vehicle submerged in the retention basin off Comtois Road has been identified, Manalapan Police said Wednesday.

The man was identified as Rice Masongo, 45, of Keyport, according to police. Masongo was ID’d after police responded to a report of a vehicle submerged in water at the retention basin on Saturday around 1:45 p.m.

Once officers responded to the scene, they saw the open trunk of a vehicle above the water line in the retention basin with the front part of the vehicle submerged. Water Rescue Teams were then dispatched and found Masongo dead inside the vehicle.

In an update released Wednesday, police said Masongo was recently residing in Newark and East Orange and was the registered owner of the black 2014 Ford Focus, which was found and recovered from the retention basin.

According to police, there is no indication that there is any danger to the public or that anyone other than Masongo was involved in the vehicle entering the retention basin.

As of Wednesday afternoon, authorities said there are no known witnesses to the vehicle entering the water, so a timeframe remains unknown. The last known contact made with Masongo was on April 8.

Anyone who may have had contact with Masongo between April 8 and April 26, or who may have surveillance footage of the vehicle in the Four Seasons development when it was recovered, is asked to contact Detective Joseph DeFilippis at 732-446-8385 or jdefilippis@manalapanpolice.org.

Previous Coverage

• Body Found In Vehicle Submerged In Manalapan Retention Basin: Police