Four arrested in carjacking slaying at upscale New Jersey mall
After a five day manhunt, police in New Jersey have arrested four men in connection with a horrifying murder at an upscale shopping mall -- a car jacking gone horribly wrong took the life of a young husband trying to protect his wife after a night of Christmas shopping.
Police arrested the men overnight Friday for a crime that prosecutors called both arbitrary and senseless. At least three of the four men had been arrested for serious crimes before."You shouldn't have to worry that wherever you go, whether it's in downtown Newark or the Short Hills Mall, or anywhere else, that someone will put a gun to your head and take your car," said U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
Police and the FBI had
been working since Sunday to find who gunned down 30-year-old Dustin Friedland.
He and his wife, Jamie,
were carjacked after an evening of holiday shopping at the Mall at Short Hills. Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said the men attacked the
couple as they were getting into their parked 2012 Range Rover.
"The crime itself appears to have been motivated by the desire for that particular type of vehicle," she said.
The SUV was found abandoned the next morning in Newark, about 10 miles from the mall. Police offered a $41,000 reward for information, and Murray said callers with tips were critical.
"The sheer senselessness of this case outraged people," Murray said.
Funeral services for Friedland
were held Wednesday.
His wife wasn't
harmed in the attack and said she was very grateful to the police agents responsible for the arrests.
Friedland and his wife met in law school and married two years ago.
The four men were charged Saturday morning with murder, carjacking and other crimes. Bail has been set at $2 million each. If convicted, they could face life in prison