The car owner started the vehicle, and it exploded, launching debris into homes, yards and across a road on Monday morning.

The Round Valley Fire burned 30 acres along State Route 87 after a vehicle fire exploded. Both directions of the highway have since reopened after a two-hour closure.

"How did the guy get out of the car and survive?” one neighbor asked.

"A 28-year-old male, who was inside the vehicle at the time of the explosion, was able to exit the vehicle on his own," Acting Police Chief Brian Mulroony said. A Passaic County neighborhood was ...