NBC News – Four men were arrested and charged with murder in the carjacking and shooting death of a man who was leaving an upscale New Jersey mall after shopping with his wife a week and a half before Christmas, authorities said Saturday.
The target of the attack appeared to be the man’s Range Rover, said Carolyn Murray, the acting Essex County prosecutor.
“It was the car, not the persons,” she told reporters.
Authorities identified the suspects as Hanif Thompson, Karif Ford, Basim Henry and Kevin Roberts, aged 29 to 33 and all from New Jersey, NBC New York reported. They were arrested Friday night and early Saturday.
The victim, Dustin Friedland, 30, had just left The Mall at Short Hills, about a half-hour outside New York, last Sunday night and opened the car door for his wife in the parking garage. He was shot at least once in the head while he was trying to get in on the driver’s side.
The attackers sped off in the car, a 2012 Range Rover. It was found abandoned the next morning in Newark, about 15 miles from the mall. The wife was not hurt in the attack.
The four men were charged with murder, carjacking and other crimes. Bail was set at $2 million for each. They could face life in prison if convicted, Murray said.
Friedland was a patent lawyer. He met his wife at Syracuse Law School, and they married two years ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.