A pair of carjackers got away with a brand-new Mercedes in New Jersey after forcing the owner out of his car outside a Paramus store Friday, police say.
Authorities believe it's connected to two earlier attempted carjackings along Route 17, the first of which happened at a Mercedes dealership as an employee was trying to check in a leased car.
Alex Carlo said he was crouched over the front of the vehicle and taking off the plate when he heard the door open.
"The gentleman's right here, sitting down, and I notice it's not the customer I was helping out," he said. "I got into the car, about to put it in park, and as I got out, he was already going that way in the pickup truck."
Police believe the thieves also visited the Jaguar/Land Rover dealership a mile down the street, where employees also spotted a suspicious vehicle in their lot, though nothing came of that.
Later, a 50-year-old man was leaving the PGA Superstore down the road when two men approached and threatened him with a gun, according to Paramus police. He handed over his Mercedes and his cellphone, and the carjackers took off.
Police pursued the driver down the Garden State Parkway, but the vehicle got away. Detectives are working on pulling surveillance video and assembling a description of the suspects.
