The 450 carjackings in Essex County, N.J., in 2013 set an all-time record for a county that includes the crime-ridden city of Newark and an upscale shopping center that draws suburbanites.

Carjackings have steadily increased in Essex County since 2011, when 277 were recorded, reports Fox News. In 2012, 422 carjackings were recorded. In the 1990s, Newark was dubbed the "car theft capitol of the world."

In December, a 30-year-old attorney, Dustin Friedland, was fatally shot during a carjacking at The Mall at Short Hills. His silver Range Rover was later recovered abandoned in Newark.

Essex County prosecutors have launched a public awareness campaign highlighting stiff penalties for convicted carjackers.

Related:

How to Survive a Carjacking

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet

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