State police: Shooting Thursday inside American Dream puts megamall into lockdown; suspect or suspects at-large

State police say a shooting Thursday night inside American Dream in East Rutherford put the mall into lockdown for several hours, according to state police.

News 12 Staff

Apr 8, 2022, 9:12 AM

Updated 968 days ago

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State police say a shooting Thursday night inside American Dream in East Rutherford put the mall into lockdown for several hours, according to state police.
The lockdown has been lifted and the mall is scheduled to reopen today, but the search apparently continues for the shooter or shooters.  
The shooting happened inside the mall around 6 p.m. with witnesses saying they heard at least three shots fired.  
News 12 understands that one person was shot and rushed to the hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening. Those inside were forced to shelter in place for several hours.  
Around 8 p.m., customers and employees started filing out as SWAT teams cleared one store after another.
“We really didn’t know anything,” says Best Buy employee Brian Hooten. “They just told us to lock down and stay inside, keep everyone toward the back of the building stay quiet.”
Customers were locked down for two and a half hours before being escorted out by police. One woman was separated from several of her children as they were in different parts of the mall.  
Police are still looking for suspects, including the person who pulled the trigger. There are no updates on a description or the victim.