Gaping 'Sinkhole' Consumed Car At Livingston Mall, Lawsuit Alleges

LIVINGSTON, NJ — It was one heck of a pothole, the lawsuit says.

Over the past year, visitors have been reporting that things have gotten even bleaker at the Livingston Mall, a once-bustling shopping center in North Jersey that has seen an exodus of tenants and ongoing complaints over its worsening condition.

“The place looks like the movies where the atomic bomb drops and all of civilization is in ruins,” a visitor recently remarked.

One of the recurring complaints? A parking lot reportedly infested with potholes.

Now, the owners of the mall are facing a lawsuit from a mother who claims that her teenage son drove into a large “sinkhole” last June – causing $10,000 in damage to his car.

The lawsuit alleges that the incident took place as the teen was driving to LensCrafters at the mall. At first, he thought he’d hit a pothole. But then the front end of the car dropped into what police later described as a sinkhole, NJ Advance Media reported, sharing a photo taken at the scene.

The lawsuit, which was filed in February, accuses the mall’s owner – Kohan Retail Investment Group – of failing to properly maintain the parking lot, as well as failing to warn visitors about the hazardous conditions.

MALL UPDATES

The decline of the mall has become a persistent source of discussion in Livingston, where many residents have been wondering about what is happening – along with future plans for the property.

The mall is privately owned by multiple stakeholders, and the town doesn’t currently have the ability to force its owners to do anything with it, a Livingston official recently explained. In the past, the entire mall was owned by Simon, the largest such company in the country. Simon eventually sold its interest to Kohan Retail Investment Group, which also owns several other malls throughout the U.S.

• See Related: Livingston Mall Update: Ownership Boondoggle Is Making Progress Tricky

It hasn’t been working out great for Livingston, its town manager reported in 2024.

“I will say this – and I'm happy to say it publicly – that the new owner has been incredibly disappointing … unresponsive … not participating in trying to revitalize the mall … not maintaining the mall … code enforcement has their hands full with them,” he charged.

The town has been playing a tug-of-war with the mall’s owners, fining them for alleged code violations. The mall also previously went into delinquency for its property taxes, and has experienced power shutoffs due to non-payment, officials said.

• See Related: Livingston Mall ‘Falling Apart,’ Shoppers Say; Condemnation Looms

The mall – located at 112 Eisenhower Parkway – has seen a mass exodus of tenants over the past few years, with many shoppers reporting that the shopping center is now eerily quiet and nearly empty of stores.

In January, one of the mall’s most-iconic stores – Macy’s – announced that it will be closing its doors. No such message is currently posted on the website of the Macy’s location at The Mall at Short Hills in Millburn. Read More: Tale Of 2 Malls: Frustration In Livingston, New Stores In Short Hills

In January, a visitor to the mall shared video footage from his trip to Macy’s at the Livingston Mall, reporting that “the final domino has fallen.”

Video courtesy of Christopher Cronin

Recently, Livingston town officials sought input from residents as they try to create a “community-led vision” of what the property will look like for the next 50 years.

Need a quick refresher about what’s at stake? According to the town’s website:

“Opened in 1972, the Livingston Mall has long been a staple of the community. Nonetheless, the mall has faced a variety of challenges as e-commerce, consumer preferences and the COVID-19 pandemic impacted its viability. Faced with shuttered anchor stores, declining patronage and growing maintenance issues, the township deemed the mall as an ‘area in need of redevelopment’ in October 2024.”

According to previous presentations from the township – despite its current condition – the mall property continues to have “significant economic value,” and Livingston depends on it for property tax revenue.

In 2010, the mall generated nearly $5.2 million in tax revenue. In 2024, it generated $1.46 million, administrators say – about 0.7 percent of all taxes collected.

It’s possible that housing may be a part of the future of the property, TAPinto Livingston reported last year.

• See Related: Livingston Defends Affordable Housing Plan After Challenge From Developers

In the meanwhile, rumors keep swirling that the end is nigh for the Livingston Mall, despite previous predictions that haven’t come to fruition – yet.

“That mall is gonna be gone within the next year,” a social media user commented in November 2024. “Livingston Mall is falling apart,” another commenter agreed.

• Read More: Livingston Keeps Hammering Out New Vision For Mall Property
• Read More: Burglar Sneaks Into Livingston Mall, Steals 76 Pairs Of Glasses: Police

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.