Trapped in New Jersey

A lone gunman wearing all black carrying a shot gun started firing it inside of Garden State Plaza, a mall in Bergen County, NJ. This situation has been going on almost two hours. No one has been reported dead. There is communication with the people inside. Police are now moving inside the mall entrances to clear out the stores one by one.

No shots have been fired since around 9:40pm.

People are reported to be locked up in storage closets and various places until they know it is safe. They have been communicating with law enforcement and various family members with their cell phones.

The mall is on lock down - no one in, no one out.

Police have found one shell casing although there were reports of people hearing multiple shots fired. No injuries have been reported at this time. Thousands of people are still inside the mall.

Garden State Plaza is THE MALL. It closes at 9:30pm. So most people were on their way out when the shooter fired. That is the only good news. Many of them were able to flee when they heard the first shot.

Officials are going store to store with canines looking for this person, who , as of the press conference that was just televised, they believe has already fled.

I know many people are asking the question WHY? I want to know why!

There is too much of this going on in the world.

However even when we have answers we will still ask ourselves why?

I bet the first thing that will happen is people that know this man and will say "He was a nice and quiet guy".

My husband is a law enforcement officer and this hits way to close to home. I of course am praying for the people inside, but I praying extra for the police and swat teams, county police and sheriffs that are there now. Other police departments have come out to help. They are heavily armed.

What else needs to be said? I was just at the a mall today. What if this happened at my mall? What if that was me in that situation? My husband, who always accompanies me even when I run in for milk to a WaWa or some such store, waited out in the car today. And my phone was dead. My fault for not charging it. But what would I have done? I have been told so many times by my husband what to do in these types of situations. Would I remember under pressure?

The press conference just ended with the Mayor. He said he will be back in an hour but there was nothing else to tell at this time.

Two girl have just come out of a second floor store and are too shaken up to talk on camera.

Please pray for everyone involved.