ExploreMore than $37K raised for family after father dies in burning car in DeKalb

McGrath was survived by his children and his wife, Amber, who started a GoFundMe effort to raise money for the family. She said Peter was the sole provider for the household of six, working as a mobile emergency locksmith. Their youngest child is 6 months old, police said.

“This senseless tragedy is almost too much to bear,” she wrote on the crowdfunding campaign.

By Thursday night, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $50,000 from almost 500 donations.

“Peter was a great man. Trying to carve out his little slice of the American Dream,” Amber McGrath said. “Our dreams were cut short. He was a loving father. Small business owner. Loved by many. This loss is too much.”