Surveillance video of the deadly carjacking at an upscale New Jersey mall last year appears to show the suspects had been plotting the ambush for days.
Attorney Bruce Nagel represents the widow of Dustin Friedland, who was killed in the carjacking outside The Mall at Short Hills on Dec. 15, and said the video released Thursday shows the alleged carjackers had ample opportunity to plan a crime that would turn deadly.
The video shows the suspects' vehicle shadowing an SUV three days before the deadly carjacking. Then on Dec. 15, the suspects' vehicle parked close to another SUV, entered the garage where the attack on Friedland occurred, then left about 13 minutes later with Friedland's silver Range Rover.
"There's not a single security officer, not a single policeman that ever sees them or confronts them on two separate days," Nagel said.
The attorney is representing Jamie Schare Friedland, who was not harmed in the attack. The carjackers confronted the couple and Dustin Friedland, a 30-year-old lawyer from Hoboken, was shot in the head.
The assailants drove off in the Range Rover, which was found the next morning in Newark, about 10 miles from Short Hills. Prosecutors have said the couple was targeted solely because of the make of their vehicle.
Schare Friedland filed a wrongful death lawsuit earlier this year, seeking unspecified damages. The suit claims the mall owners reduced security to increase profits and first responders mishandled a call for help, allegations those parties deny.
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Nagel said the owner of the mall, the Taubman Company, resisted his effort to make the video public, a battle he won in court last week.
"They don't want the public to know that their security that night was grossly inadequate," said Nagel.
There was no comment from the Taubman Company Thursday, but some shoppers told NBC 4 New York they have seen more security since then.
Jill Carnavale said she's been "more cautious" since the carjacking.
Hanif Thompson, of Irvington, and Newark residents Karif Ford, Basim Henry and Kevin Roberts have pleaded not guilty to felony murder and other charges.
