Prosecutors say an Essex County freeholder escaped injury when he was carjacked at gunpoint over the weekend.

 

Essex County Freeholder Rufus Johnson
Essex County Freeholder Rufus Johnson (Essex County Freeholders)
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The Star-Ledger reports Rufus Johnson was sitting in his Mercedes Benz when three men approached him around 6 p.m. Saturday.

One of the men had a handgun and ordered Johnson out of the vehicle. The men then fled in the vehicle, which authorities later recovered.

The 56-year-old Johnson did not respond to calls seeking comment. The Newark resident is serving his second term on the Essex County board and also serves as state Sen. Ronald Rice's chief of staff.

Authorities say the carjacking occurred less than a mile from the Seton Hall University campus near the Newark-South Orange border.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)

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