Police Believe 'Felony Lane Gang' Is Behind String Of Recent NJ Car Burglaries

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- It was just a 30-minute visit to Washington Lake Park with her son. In a rush, Cathleen Massa fell victim to a car burglar.

"I always hide my pocketbook, but this is my park where we come to three times a week and I just left it on the front seat," Massa said. She added that she feels embarrassed, but she's hardly alone.

Since April, Washington Township Police have received eight calls for smash and grab car burglaries at this park and another at a park nearby. At first, they thought these were isolated incidents, but then a new clue; a picture of a suspect's car.

"That car was actually rented by somebody in Florida, who we have previous intelligence was affiliated with this gang," said Captain Steve Rolando of the Washington Township Police.

It's called the Felony Lane Gang and they've hit the Philadelphia region before. In March, alleged members of the gang led police in a high speed chase along the Schuylkill Expressway.

The gang originally started in Florida, more than seven years ago and according to the "Felony Lane Gang Task Force," they almost always have the same M.O. They rent cars, steal purses from parked vehicles and then enlist prostitutes to impersonate the victims so they can steal money from their bank and credit accounts.

"They're in it for fast money," Rolando said.

They get the name Felony Lane Gang for typically defrauding banks from the furthest out drive through lane which has the fewest cameras. "This is how they've stolen millions and are in business over the years."

More than half of the nine car burglary victims in Washington Township have reported subsequent identity thefts. Massa had $1,800 withdrawn from a bank in Connecticut. "It just makes it worse, because they're professionals so that means I'll never see anything that was in my pocketbook again and now, I got to worry about identity theft and all that for a long time."