EGG HARBOR CITY -
Tears flowed freely Wednesday morning as the smoke cleared over Washington Avenue.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office arrived at the suspicious fire around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to find two bodies inside. They were later identified as a mother and her 7-year-old son.
"When my friend got here she just started screaming in the ambulance,” said neighbor Cateland Johnson. “By then I know someone died."
"She was one of my best friends and her son was one of my daughter's best friends,” said one of the loved ones who gathered at the scene to wait for any information. “It's just very sad."
Police say a third person, who neighbors identified as the victim's boyfriend, was taken from the house.
Investigators spent much of the day canvassing the neighborhood and searching for evidence.
"The arson dog is looking to see if there's any flammable liquids,' said Egg Harbor City Police Sergeant Dylan Hutton. “This is a suspicious, we're considering it suspicious at this time."
Neighbors we spoke with say they don't understand how something like this could happen in their typically quiet neighborhood.
"I always see the little boy playing and the mom,” said Johnson.
"To have this happen is very devastating and I just hope they catch the person that did this,” said neighbor Deborah Langford.
