Manager of Mall Where Toms River Native Was Killed Defends Short Hills Security

The manager of the mall where a Toms River native was shot dead during a carjacking last year defended mall security Tuesday after the victim’s widow filed a lawsuit last week.

Michael McAvinue, the mall’s general manager, gave his condolences to the family of shooting victim Dustin Friedland and promised to work with law enforcement officials to seek justice.

“There is no higher priority at The Mall at Short Hills than safety,” McAvinue said in a statement Tuesday. “That is why we deploy a professional security force onsite and retain off-duty Millburn Police officers to augment the on-duty Millburn Police presence assigned to the mall throughout the year, including the evening of December 15, 2013.”

The manager’s statement comes four days after Friedland’s widow filed a wrongful death suit for an undisclosed amount of money against the mall’s owners, its security company and the Millburn First Aid Squad.

Jamie Schare Friedland filed the suit for the death of her husband, Dustin Friedland, a Hoboken attorney who was gunned down when the couple returned to their Range Rover at about 9 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2013.

The lawsuit alleges that the mall's owners should have known the upscale mall was a prime target for carjackings and should have taken appropriate precautions.