State Sen. Erupts, Officials Offer No Solutions at Millburn Carjacking Powwow

State Sen. Richard Codey lashed out at the owners of two local malls and the county prosecutor at a Feb. 26 meeting organized in response to a rash of carjackings in Millburn.

Codey reportedly told the local audience that The Mall at Short Hills was "the worst mall for security,” and goaded mall officials for their slow response in offering a reward in the killing of Hoboken lawyer Dustin Friedland by calling them “cheap S.O.B.s,” according to a report on northjersey.com.

The website reported that Codey also lashed out at the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, claiming the county officials were “notorious” for lenient sentences on “all criminals.” 

The audience, based on the report, appeared packed with scared and concerned Millburn residents—a carjacking victim, the parent of a teen scared to walk to her car in broad daylight,  a woman frustrated with living in a constant state of fear.

The meeting, however, was thin on solutions. 

Millburn Mayor Robert Tillotson again said that money would be put into the 2014 budget for security cameras, and that he and the town business administrator were “looking into discussing security needs with a professional consultant,” according to northjersey.com.

Assembly members Mila Jasey and John McKeon were reported to have attended the Feb. 26 meeting, as well.

The day after the meeting was held in Millburn, 29 men were charged in a major international carjacking and stolen car trafficking ring that swiped luxury cars in New Jersey and New York and shipped them to West Africa.