Lt. Cundey says surveillance of the event matches group’s M-O
Harrison Township Police suspect the notorious burglary gang coined “Felony Lane Gang (FLG),” is stealing personal identification from residents.
June 14 surveillance from Holding Hands Daycare on Tomlin Station Road has led officers to believe FLG is behind the stealing of a local woman’s purse. According to Harrison Township Police, the woman left her car unattended and unlocked for a brief period to escort her daughter into the facility. Upon re-entering the vehicle, her purse was missing.
“It matches the M-O of that organization,” Lt. Ronald Cundey of the Harrison Township Police Department said.
FLG, an organized burglary and identity theft ring, is included on the FBI’s website. According to the site, the group originates from South Florida and is “operating in multiple jurisdictions throughout the U.S.”
The description on the site says “decentralized crews” are known to operate independently “with a loose hierarchy.”
The groups use rental vehicles with tinted windows and sit in parking lots of locations such as daycares, banks and fitness centers to watch for individuals who leave cars unattended and unlocked hoping to steal IDs and bank information.
“FLG members then utilize the stolen checks and IDs to withdraw large sums of money at multiple banks before the victims have the opportunity to close their accounts,” the site reads.
The gang has been known to hire prostitutes and drug dealers to impersonate the owner of the IDs — mainly women.
Taking the stolen information to a nearby bank, “The subjects will strategically choose the farthest window from the teller, in bank drive-thru lanes, to impersonate the customer while using a stolen ID. This drive-thru lane is commonly known as the “felony lane”, thus coining the name of this criminal enterprise,” the site reads.
“The operation, how they did that with a dark car, dark-tinted windows; they pull into it real close and slide in through an unlocked door — that is their MO,” Cundey said.
Cundey said he cannot remember any recent event the police department thought to be linked to this group but did say, “These guys operate up and down the east coast and go from here to there.”
This incident is under investigation.The Harrison Township Police Department urges residents to contact dispatch at (856) 589–0911 with any tips or suspicions.
