Man dies after he's shot in the head during violent carjacking at posh New Jersey mall

The unidentified man was shot in the parking garage of the Mall at Short Hills near Millburn, New Jersey
The man was with his wife when two men approached them, fired shots and sped away in their silver Range Rover
His wife was unscathed, but the man died after being rushed to the hospital Sunday

PUBLISHED: 01:28 EST, 16 December 2013 | UPDATED: 01:46 EST, 16 December 2013

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A New Jersey man was left in critical condition Sunday and later died from his injuries after carjackers shot him in the head in the parking garage of a busy, upscale mall.

What witnesses have described as two black men approached the victim and his wife as they returned to their Range Rover around 9pm at the Mall at Short Hills in Millburn after a night of holiday shopping.

The 30-year-old unnamed man was shot once. After the suspects sped away in the couple’s silver SUV, panicked authorities briefly placed the mall on lockdown.

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Horrific: A man was rushed to a New Jersey hospital Sunday evening after he was shot in the head during an apparent carjacking in the parking garage of an upscale shopping mall

Unthinkable: The shocking crime occurred on the third level of the parking garage at the posh Mall at Short Hills near Millburn, New Jersey around 9pm

The woman was left unharmed.

Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly confirmed the shooting Sunday night at the upscale mall about 23 miles west of Manhattan.

The posh shopping mall is anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

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The suspect are believed to have sped off heading eastbound on New Jersey Route 24.

The 30 minute lockdown lasted until about 10pm affected hundreds inside the 160-store mall, which was open late to accommodate Christmas shoppers.

Posh: The high end mall is anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's and Bloomingdale's

Panic: Hundreds were inside the mall when authorities placed it on a precautionary lockdown following the unidentified man's shooting (file photo)

Some could even hear the terrifying ordeal as it occurred on the garage’s third floor near a Nordstrom.

Witness Robert Newman, 55, told the Star-Ledger he heard two gunshots at about 8:30 pm, and then saw a vehicle—though not the victim’s Range Rover—speed away.

‘The Subaru went out of here at about 100 miles per hour,’ said Newman, who described the vehicle as green. It was unclear if the Subaru he saw was connected to the crime.

Another man who was in the mall and working in one of its restaurants said he heard multiple shots as well.

‘The table in the back stood up really fast,’ the restaurant worker told CBS New York. ‘They started panicking. I peeked my head out of this door right here, and I heard a lady screaming on the top of her lungs, screaming some name.’

While the woman was unharmed, she was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

The victim was treated at Morristown Medical Center. He died there from his injuries at 11:45pm.

Police are searching for the couple's SUV, which has New Jersey license plate number U26BVD.

'We do not know why that car (was targeted), but it obviously was a car with some value,' according to acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray.

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Expat, Beijing - China, 14 minutes ago

'Man shot dead in the head' practice is not improving the headlines, they care getting worse!

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Spotifeyeballs, Somewhere Else, 17 minutes ago

Gee, I just wonder the demographic of the perps....

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Pepe Ronnie, NEW YORK, United States, 47 minutes ago

RIP to the victim. I go to that mall often with my family but maybe no more. I thought carjackings went out of style but I guess they're back. Eastbound on 24 leads to 78 then Newark. Most suburban cops won't even pursue in Newark. The range rover is already in pieces in some Newark junkyard.

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monica blue, allover, 54 minutes ago

Merry I'm rich and could care less about anybody else Christmas.

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ohara, Jupiter, United States, 1 hour ago

I'm amazed that the perpetrators haven't been caught yet.

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Big Easy Cajun, New Orleans, USA, 2 hours ago

Merry DEMOCRATIC Christmas...

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Ian, Oldham, United Kingdom, 2 hours ago

When you see one, pull your bag closer, have your loaded-gun near to hand, lock your car windows, be ready to hit the accelerator - AND STUFF POLITICALLY INCORRECT BS!! Your life is worth far more than that !!