4 carjack suspects plead not guilty in NJ mall slay

Four men accused of killing a man during a carjacking last month at an upscale New Jersey mall pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Hanif Thompson, 29, of Irvington, and Newark residents Karif Ford, 31, Basim Henry, 32, and Kevin Roberts, 33, are accused in the Dec. 15 carjacking and killing of Dustin Friedland outside The Mall at Short Hills.

They were arraigned in Newark on charges of murder, felony murder, carjacking, conspiracy, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.

Their public defenders entered not-guilty pleas for them.

A state Superior Court judge continued their bail at $2 million each.

The four have been in custody since their arrests about a week after the shooting.

Prosecutors say Friedland, 30, had just let his wife into the passenger-side door of the 2012 Range Rover when he was confronted by his attackers and shot in the head.

His wife was forced out of the car as two of the assailants sped off in the stolen car. She was physically unharmed.

Two others left in a Chevy Suburban they had driven to the mall.

The Range Rover was found abandoned behind a vacant house in Newark about 10 miles from the mall.

Prosecutors said Friedland was targeted solely because of the make of his car.

Several family members and friends of the defendants filled several rows of the courtroom.

“If they’re guilty, let the jury say they’re guilty,” said Reginald Gadsden, who described himself as a friend of the defendants.

“Who would drop a car off in the neighborhood like that?” Gadsden said. “That block is populated with a lot of houses. There are just a lot of things that seem fishy in this case.”

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said that the “sheer senselessness” of the crime outraged residents and led to numerous tips.

Authorities did not name the triggerman who shot Friedland point-blank in the head. But prosecutors said they know what role each suspect played in the deadly attack.

Authorities said the attack was part of an epidemic of carjackings connected to New Jersey’s largest city.

Carjack victims include a Newark politician, an off-duty police officer and a police sergeant.

The trend has inspired a Twitter account, @NewarkCarjacked, with details on the latest thefts.

Friedland, 30, was a project manager at his family’s air-conditioning company. The couple bought a home in Hoboken, and relatives said they were planning to start a family.