Normally, they gather for fireworks, visits with Santa and bike rodeos. 

But Wednesday evening, Lakehurst residents came together for a somber reason — to mourn. 

At its peak, about 100 people — from Lakehurst and surrounding towns — gathered near the Maple Street home of Tierra Morgan, the 2-year-old who was found dead in a Monmouth County park Tuesday, to offer their support to her family. 

"I appreciate all the neighbors," said Tierra's grandmother, Michelle Simmons, who spoke briefly to the mass of onlookers, white candles in hand. "I hope that he is caught and justice is served," she continued, referring to Tierra's father, 27-year-old Arthur Morgan III, who is wanted for his daughter's murder.

"I love you all," Simmons said to the crowd before heading inside the family home.

Brian Dugan, president of the Lakehurst Volunteer Fire Company, said that he learned of the vigil through a Facebook event page created by Lisa Haus Wednesday morning. He decided to support the event by providing tents, candles and his men, who, along with the borough's police department and Manchester's Ridgeway Fire Department, blocked off the 600 block of Maple Street to traffic. 

"Being the fire department, we want to help out whenever we can," said Dugan, a life-long Lakehurst resident. 

Though the Facebook event page had 47 confirmed guests, word-of-mouth brought more support than Haus had expected. 

"I didn't think it would be this, for sure," Haus said. "I love it."

Though seeing the community support was uplifting to Haus, it was also for a tragedy that she never thought would impact a borough of about 2,200 residents. 

"You hear about it happening everywhere, but you don't think it will happen at home," she said. 

"It's scary that it could happen anywhere," Dugan said. "It's frightening. But it makes us appreciate the closeness of this town that came together."

April Chillemi, who serves on the Lakehurst Board of Education, brought her three children to the vigil.

"In a small town like this, with the socioeconomic difficulties that many of us face, it's the little things that count," she said. "We may not be able to provide financial help, but we can provide moral support. We're not a town that turns our eyes away from what's happening."

Morgan was originally charged with the second degree offense of endangering the welfare of a child and interference with custody, said Monmouth County Prosecutor Peter E. Warshaw at a press conference just hours before the vigil.

The girl was considered missing after she did not return home from a visitation with Morgan on Monday. An autopsy performed Wednesday morning determined Tierra was the victim of "homicidal violence'' by being submerged in water, Warshaw said.

The toddler's body was discovered by local teens out walking in Shark River Park. She was still strapped to a car seat when she was found, Warshaw said.

There is an active investigation to locate Arthur Morgan, involving municipal and county authorities as well as the FBI, Warshaw said.