The arrests were carried out from Friday evening to Saturday morning, Essex County officials said at a news conference on Saturday morning in Newark. The men were identified as Karif Ford, 31, Basim Henry, 32, Kevin Roberts, 33, all of Newark, and Hanif Thompson, 29, of Irvington, N.J.
The men were charged with murder, carjacking and other crimes. Bail was set at $2 million.
Carolyn A. Murray, the acting Essex County prosecutor, said the primary motive was to steal the victim’s vehicle, a Range Rover. She said the gun used in the carjacking had not yet been recovered.
The victim, Dustin J. Friedland, and his wife, Jamie Schare Friedland, were getting into their Range Rover in a parking garage at the Mall at Short Hills, in Millburn, N.J., around 9 p.m. last Sunday. Mr. Friedland, 30, had just closed the passenger-side door for his wife when two armed men attacked him. In the struggle, Mr. Friedman was shot in the head, the police say. One of the men then forced his wife out of the vehicle, jumped in and sped away with the second man. The other two men left in a Chevrolet Suburban, the S.U.V. that all four men had arrived in, Ms. Murray said.
The Range Rover was found the following day in an alley behind an abandoned Newark house, law enforcement officials said.
The episode sent shudders through Millburn, an affluent suburb where such violence is extremely rare. The Mall at Short Hills is typically packed during the holiday season with shoppers picking up gifts at shops like Cartier and Hermès. The garage where Mr. Friedland was killed is often filled with luxury vehicles.
“You shouldn’t have to worry that wherever you go, to downtown Newark, the Short Hills mall or wherever else, that someone will put a gun to your head and take your car,” Paul J. Fishman, the United States attorney for New Jersey, said at the news conference. “We are working diligently to make sure that no one in Essex County has to be scared about that.”
The Friedlands met at Syracuse University’s law school and married shortly after graduation. Mr. Friedland was a project manager at his family’s air-conditioning company. Two months ago, the couple bought a home in Hoboken, N.J., and relatives said they were planning to start a family soon.
Julie Turkewitz contributed reporting.
The men were charged with murder, carjacking and other crimes. Bail was set at $2 million.
Carolyn A. Murray, the acting Essex County prosecutor, said the primary motive was to steal the victim’s vehicle, a Range Rover. She said the gun used in the carjacking had not yet been recovered.
The victim, Dustin J. Friedland, and his wife, Jamie Schare Friedland, were getting into their Range Rover in a parking garage at the Mall at Short Hills, in Millburn, N.J., around 9 p.m. last Sunday. Mr. Friedland, 30, had just closed the passenger-side door for his wife when two armed men attacked him. In the struggle, Mr. Friedman was shot in the head, the police say. One of the men then forced his wife out of the vehicle, jumped in and sped away with the second man. The other two men left in a Chevrolet Suburban, the S.U.V. that all four men had arrived in, Ms. Murray said.
The Range Rover was found the following day in an alley behind an abandoned Newark house, law enforcement officials said.
The episode sent shudders through Millburn, an affluent suburb where such violence is extremely rare. The Mall at Short Hills is typically packed during the holiday season with shoppers picking up gifts at shops like Cartier and Hermès. The garage where Mr. Friedland was killed is often filled with luxury vehicles.
“You shouldn’t have to worry that wherever you go, to downtown Newark, the Short Hills mall or wherever else, that someone will put a gun to your head and take your car,” Paul J. Fishman, the United States attorney for New Jersey, said at the news conference. “We are working diligently to make sure that no one in Essex County has to be scared about that.”
The Friedlands met at Syracuse University’s law school and married shortly after graduation. Mr. Friedland was a project manager at his family’s air-conditioning company. Two months ago, the couple bought a home in Hoboken, N.J., and relatives said they were planning to start a family soon.
Julie Turkewitz contributed reporting.