OMG!
Thank god no one was hurt!
I don't even live in New Jersey, but I totally get the feeling of you guys feeling weird about this happening so close to home. My city has a Westfield mall, which is only 6 minutes from my house (by car), so if this happened here, I'd feel the same way.
As for mall security, I have to agree tbh. Going to the mall a lot, I feel like you could easily get away with walking up the escalator when its closed to be honest. Security needs to improve. I live in the 4th safest city in the US though so I guess it's understandable.
But glad no one we know got hurt or anyone in general.