Crime & Safety

Mall Carjacking 'Far From Normal' in Community, Millburn Mayor Says

Millburn Mayor Sandra Haimoff called Sunday night's fatal carjacking a 'tragic, shocking and very disturbing' incident.

Millburn Mayor Sandra Haimoff believes the carjacking at The Mall at Short Hills, which resulted in the death of a Hoboken lawyer, is a tragedy and far from what residents are used to hearing about in the community.

"This incident is far from normal," Haimoff said in a phone interview with Patch on Wednesday. "It is tragic, shocking and very disturbing. My heart goes out to the victim's family, friends and the poor wife who witnessed it."

Dustin Friedland, 30, was shot in the head when he and his wife returned to their SUV shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday after an evening of Christmas shopping with his wife. Friedland was pronounced dead at 11:45 p.m. that night at Morristown Medical Center. His wife, Jamie, who was uninjured, was also transported to the hospital, according to the Essex County Prosecutor.

Investigators are looking at mall tapes and searching behind a vacant, boarded-up house on Renner Avenue in Newark where the stolen SUV was found Monday, according to NJ.com.

The mall was placed on a brief lockdown Sunday night after the incident, but reopened when authorities deemed it an isolated incident and not a shooting inside the mall.

The Hilton Short Hills hotel, located directly across from the mall on JFK Parkway, has increased security since the incident.

Haimoff said she believes the township is still safe, despite anyone's perception that it may no longer be true.

"That is ridiculous," Haimoff said, in response to whether the area was becoming less safe. "Short Hills and Millburn is as safe, if not safer, than any other community. Patrols have been increased and were already increased at the mall because of the holidays, so I would not agree with a statement about the township being unsafe at all."

Haimoff stated detectives from the Millburn Police Department are working closely with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office to find those responsible for the killing.

"It is my belief they will apprehend the people responsible for this," Haimoff said.

The owners of The Mall at Short Hills and CrimeStopper programs in Essex and Morris counties have combined to quadruple a reward for the carjackers.

Taubman Co., which owns the mall, offered a $20,000 reward Tuesday for the capture and conviction of the carjackers, according to NJ.com. The reward was added to the initial $10,000 offering from the Essex County Crime Stoppers Program. The program added an additional $10,000 on Tuesday, while the Morris County Crime Stoppers provided an additional $1,000, bringing the total reward to $41,000.

Services for Friedland were held Wednesday in Ocean County.


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