The city of Camden honored a 6-year-old boy who died more than a decade ago while protecting his sister from an armed rapist who broke into their home.
On Sept. 2, 2012, Osvaldo Rivera broke into a home in Camden, New Jersey, and raped and stabbed a girl who was sleeping on the sofa. Family members said the girl’s 6-year-old brother, Dominick Andujar, confronted Rivera to protect his sister. Rivera – who investigators said had been smoking marijuana laced with PCP at the time of the attack – then stabbed the boy. The girl survived while Dominick died from his injuries.
Rivera was later arrested and sentenced to 110 years in prison for murder, attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault, burglary and terroristic threats.
Nearly 11 years after his murder, Dominick’s heroism has not been forgotten. On Tuesday, the Board of Commissioners, Camden City Mayor Victor Carstarphen and other community partners unveiled $1.5 million worth of upgrades to a North Camden park which was named after Dominick in 2021.
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“This actually helps us a lot dealing with him and his passing because we used to play here when we were younger,” Dominick’s sister told NBC10 during Tuesday’s ceremony. “This is a park that we do come to all the time and we do clean up and we make sure that all the kids stay safe.”
The park upgrades include the removal of soil contamination and other environmental concerns as well as a new baseball field with solar powered lights, new trees, benches and trash cans and a walkway connecting the northern and southern parts of the park.
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“This is a well-loved park here in North Camden and ensuring it’s in the best shape possible was a top priority for us,” Commissioner Jeff Nash, liaison to the Parks Department, said. “The project is part of Camden County’s continued $21 million commitment to partner with Camden City to rehabilitate and expand green spaces here in the city. We are thrilled to have this park completed and we cannot wait for the community to enjoy this in its entirety.”
Dominick, who loved t-ball and baseball, would’ve just turned 17 years old.
“He also played on this park when he turned 5-years-old for North Camden Little League,” Dominick’s mother, Debbie Burgos, said during Tuesday’s ceremony.
Former Camden police chief J. Scott Thomson also attended Tuesday’s ceremony and praised Dominick's courage.
“In my 27 years of policing, I have witnessed courage and bravery from adult men and women but none as great as little Dominick’s,” he said.
In addition to the park upgrades, officials also unveiled a statue of a lion cub to memorialize Dominick and his bravery.
“Thank you to everyone who put their heart and soul into making this park and field a fun and safe place for children to play the sport that my son loved so much,” Burgos said. “The lion cub symbolizes courage, strength, and bravery which Dominick displayed at such a young age and will continue to help honor his memory.”
