"Man killed in N.J. mall carjacking" Associated Press, December 17, 2013
NEWARK — An evening of shopping ended in horror for a New Jersey couple when the husband was shot to death in a mall parking garage as his wife looked on and the two assailants then drove off in their luxury sport utility vehicle.
The vehicle stolen Sunday, a silver Range Rover, was recovered Monday morning in a residential neighborhood in Newark, about 10 miles away from the Mall at Short Hills. The two carjackers were at large, and a local anticrime group was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to their arrest and conviction.
Killed in the attack was Dustin Friedland, 30, a lawyer from Hoboken who had worked recently at his family’s HVAC company analyzing construction-related legal claims, according to his LinkedIn profile. Friedland’s wife, Jamie Schare Friedland, is listed as an attorney specializing in landlord-tenant law at a firm in New York City. Both attended law school at Syracuse University, according to their online profiles.
Carjackings have risen steeply in the past several years, leading local authorities to create a multiagency task force three years ago.
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"Four arrested in N.J. carjacking, slaying; Accused in death of Hoboken man shot near a mall" Associated Press, December 22, 2013
NEWARK, N.J. — Four men have been arrested on charges of murder, conspiracy, and other counts in the carjacking death of a man shot in front of his wife outside an upscale mall in northern New Jersey last weekend, authorities said Saturday.
The suspects were identified as Hanif Thompson, 29, of Irvington; and Karif Ford, 31, Basim Henry, 32, and Kevin Roberts, 33, all of Newark.
They are accused in the Dec. 15 carjacking and killing of Dustin Friedland outside the Mall at Short Hills. The 30-year-old lawyer from Hoboken was shot in the head in the mall parking garage after being confronted by two carjackers, authorities said.
The assailants drove off in his silver Range Rover, which was found the next morning in Newark, about 10 miles from Short Hills.
The four face charges of murder, felony murder, carjacking, conspiracy, possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.
They were arrested between late Friday and early Saturday. Three of them were taken into custody at their residences in New Jersey, and Henry was arrested by an FBI task force at a hotel in Easton, Pa.
The suspects are being held on $2 million bail each but have not yet been formally arraigned. It wasn’t immediately clear if they had attorneys.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray attributes the swift arrest to ‘‘good old-fashioned police work’’ and leads from the public.
Along with help from telecoms and the NSA.
‘‘The sheer senselessness of this case outraged people from Millburn to Newark,’’ Murray said, referring to towns in Essex County, whose borders encompass crime-plagued Newark to the east as well as Millburn, Short Hills, and other affluent suburbs to the west.
Murray said the crime appeared to have been motivated by the particular type of vehicle the suspects had been looking for.
The carjacking occurred just as Friedland and his wife, Jamie Schare Friedland, were ending a shopping trip. Mourners at Friedland’s funeral on Wednesday said he had just opened the door of his SUV for his wife when he was shot. His wife was unharmed.
Friedland had a law degree from Syracuse University and was project manager at his family’s heating and air conditioning company....
US Attorney Paul Fishman, who attended Saturday’s news conference with local, state, and federal authorities, said a multiagency task force set up three years ago to combat ‘‘an epidemic of carjacking’’ in Essex County had helped lead to arrests in the case....
One day the government tells us crime is down, the next day they tell us it is up. It all depends on what image and agenda they wish to advance. Doing great job and tools of tyranny working? Crime down! Trouble outside the door and police need more powers? Crime up, be afraid, be very afraid (and ignore all the bodies felled by the protective security services).
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