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A bustling mall that has become the scene of a shootout at the height of Black Friday shopping on Friday night will be open again on Saturday.
The factories of Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth will continue as if nothing had happened, said a spokesman for the mall after a shootout hit panicked buyers shortly after 8 pm .
"We are grateful for the prompt response of our security team and the Elizabeth Police Department to the incident last night." We are committed to providing a secure shopping environment. for our customers, our retailers and our employees, "said the mall in a statement. "We have put in place a number of proactive, visible and non-visible security measures, including the maintenance of a continuous security patrol of our property and our parking lots. We also maintain close working relationships with local law enforcement to maintain a safe environment on our property. "
The shopping center is expected to open at 10 am
Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage said a man had been touched on the wrist in the bridge between Tommy Hilfiger and Marshalls.
These stores were again open on Saturday, but the nearby Nike store was closed and a sign indicated that it would open at 1pm. "Because of the unfortunate events of the last nights (sic)."
Should be RT jersey @WorldLatin: Shots in mall – Mills Gardens shopping center in Jersey Gardens was evacuated after reports of gunfire. 1 person was shot pic.twitter.com/xzUqoIrWDt
– Hozay[?] (@HozayG) November 24, 2018
The victim was not cooperating with the police, Bollwage said.
The police were examining the images of the surveillance camera.
No arrests were made Saturday morning, according to Elizabeth Police Chief John Brennan. He added that additional police officers had been placed inside and outside the mall to enhance public safety.
The investigation remains ongoing, said Brennan.
He urged all buyers who left personal items, such as baby carriages and coats, to come back for them.
Images on social media showed shoppers running in the mall and car parks. Police evacuated the mall after the shooting and no one else was injured.
Carli Disla, her boyfriend and their 6-week-old daughter were in a Cohoes fashion store, heading for cash registers, when the couple noticed people running.
"They were screaming:" Hide, hide! They shoot! ", Said Disla, 22, to the Associated Press in an interview via Twitter.
She and her boyfriend took the newborn out of his car seat, ran to the back of the store and hid in the reception area. The store's security doors were shot down and the exits locked until police and state soldiers told customers and staff that they could not leave until all was done. will not be under control, said Disla. They were allowed to leave around 9 pm
A video on Twitter also showed that a woman who ran with shopping bags seems to have been stolen from the parking lot.
Brennan said that no theft had been reported to the police as a result of the shooting.
The strong presence of the police has also caused a major traffic jam in the region.
Jersey Gardens, operated by giant Simon Shopping Center, was open since 10 am Thursday to host one of the biggest shopping days of the year. About 25,000 buyers visited the mall within two days, said Bollwage.
Taylor Tiamoyo Harris, Alex Pais and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Alex Napoliello can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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