Burning car had body of Edison resident, political figure

EDISON — A township man who served as a U.S. representative of a political party in India was found dead in a burning car late last month.

The fire was found in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 99 Hana Road on Dec. 28, according to Edison police, who have not said how the vehicle was set ablaze.

A law enforcement official who did not want to be named because authorities were still awaiting a medical examiner's report, identified the man for New Jersey 101.5 as Devender Reddy Nallamada, 45.

The medical examiner's report, which can take up to 12 weeks to be completed, will  determine a cause and manner of death. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office has said that it is not investigating the case.

Despite speculation in the Indian news media that there was a criminal aspect to the fire, authorities do not believe Nallamada's death was suspicious, a determination that suggests that the death was either accidental or self-inflicted.

According to numerous reports, Nallamada was the spokesman for Telangana Rashtra Samithi, a party based in the Telangana region of India.

"Deeply saddened by the sudden demise of NRI TRS leader Sri Nallamada Devender Reddy in New Jersey, USA. Extend my condolences to his family and friends," according to a message on the Twitter account of party president K. Chandrashekar Rao.

A GoFundMe page created to help return Nallamada's body to Devarakonda, a town in the Nalgonda district of Telangana, India. He is survived by his wife and 6-year-old daughter.

Nallamada was known for his "affable, approachable and willingness to help people of both the USA and India. His affection for his homeland has no boundaries and he voluntarily fund-raised donations for several causes for back home in India," according to the GoFundMe page.

A final viewing for Nallamada took place Jan. 4 at Franklin Memorial Park in North Brunswick.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ