GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A group of thieves was able to steal an SUV from a home and drive it away on the lawn, the Gloucester Township Police Department said.
On Sept. 28, at around 12:10 a.m., five individuals targeted a home at an undisclosed location in the area.
After finding that the doors to all three cars in the driveway were unlocked, they tried to see which would start.
A black SUV had the key FOB still in the vehicle, which allowed the thieves to drive away through the front lawn.
The getaway path can be seen on video shared by the Department.
Along with help from the SUV's "OnStar" software system, police were able to track the vehicle in Philadelphia.
The travel history showed it was also driven through other areas of Gloucester County, Camden County, and Camden City.
A credit card was also stolen, which was later identified after it was tried as payment in Glassboro and Sicklerville, authorities added.
The thieves were able to jump out of their vehicles and complete their actions at the home in around two and a half minutes.
Officials confirmed they do have suspects identified, but that no further information is being released as of Friday afternoon.
The Department detailed that these situations follow a pattern where groups of "young criminals" drive into a neighborhood from a surrounding town in a stolen vehicle.
The thieves will then jump out to check car door handles, steal valuables, and hit the brake along with the start button to see if remote start key FOBs were left inside.
In many cases, the new stolen vehicle will be used to carry out more crimes before they ultimately abandon it.
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