7 car burglaries in Naperville

Don’t leave your purse in your car. Especially if you’re visiting a day-care center.

That’s the message from Naperville police following seven car burglaries in the past week in the city.

Early April 17, police say, three cars — all parked at day-care centers — were burglarized in the south end of Naperville. Four more similar burglaries were reported Saturday near Nike Park, on the north side of town.

Police say all the burglaries were “consistent” with a group they’ve dubbed the “Felony Lane Gang” — so named because they use the lane farthest from the teller at bank drive-throughs when they are involved in identify thefts.

In one instance, a witness observed a black Ford Edge occupied by the offenders and was able to take down a license plate number. Police discovered the plate was stolen the day before in the North suburbs.

“This criminal group preys upon women who leave their purses in their vehicles,” a Naperville police statement said. “In the most recent instances the women even made efforts to hide their purses within the vehicles when they exited. Within a few days the offenders used the identities of a few of the victims to commit identity theft at suburban Chicago banks.”

Members of the Felony Lane Gang operate nationwide and are mainly based out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“They travel throughout the country committing ‘smash and grab’ car burglaries and identity theft,” police said. “There are no established time, date or location patterns by which to track them. They seek out their victims in places such as day-care parking lots, health club parking lots, sports field parking lots and church parking lots”

Group members typically drive dark-colored rental vehicles. Police say the offenders “are described as African-American males often with braided or dreadlocked hair ... many times they are disguised with a wig.” Often, police say, female members of the gang attempt to do identity thefts at bank drive-through lanes.