Shoppers at the American Dream shopping mall were temporarily evacuated Tuesday due to a police investigation of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot.
Thousands of people received emergency alerts on their smartphones advising them to calmly leave the sprawling shopping center in East Rutherford, N.J. With hundreds of brand-name stores and specialty stores like Gucci, Balenciaga and Canada Goose, the massive American Dream covers more than 3 million square feet and features an indoor water park, a Ferris wheel and other non-shopping attractions. When the property was unveiled in 2019, the projected number of annual visitors was 40 million, but that has not panned out exactly as planned due partially to the pandemic shutdown. But American Dream reported improved sales for the second quarter of this year.
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At approximately 5:31 p.m., American Dream’s security observed a Tesla legally parked on the ground level of the C parking deck with the driver’s side door left open and unattended, according to Sergeant Jeffrey Lebron, a spokesperson for the New Jersey State Police. “As part of the their protective measures, two American Dream K-9 units conducted initial sweeps of the vehicle, which resulted in a positive alert. Out of an abundance of caution, the American Dream was evacuated,” he said.
What constitutes “a positive alert” was not defined Tuesday night. Following the evacuation at American Dream, a Bergen County K9 and NJSP K-9 unit performed subsequent sweeps, which also produced a positive alert, according to the NJSP spokesperson.
Representatives for American Dream could not be reached for comment Tuesday night, nor did anyone at the mega shopping mall answer the phone Tuesday evening. A media request to Triple Five Group, which operates the mall, was not immediately responded to Wednesday morning.
In addition to the other officials on the scene Tuesday night, the New Jersey State Police Bomb Unit and Bergen County Bomb Unit “responded, thoroughly cleared the vehicle, and found no indication of any devices,” according to the NJSP spokesperson.
Authorities said American Dream was then reopened to all employees and visitors. “There is no additional information available,” the NJSP spokesperson said Tuesday night.
An East Rutherford Police Department spokesperson deferred comment earlier, stating that the investigation was being handled by the NJSP.
For the second quarter of this year, American Dream reportedly generated nearly $150 million in total gross sales, which include retail, dining, attractions, entertainment and parking. That tally was a 12.4 percent increase compared to the same selling period last year.
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