Crime in Toms River has connections to four other communities

Personal information from items in a purse stolen during a pair of car burglaries in Toms River last week was used to withdraw money from multiple TD Bank branches in four other communities, according to authorities. 

The vehicle break-ins happened at 2 p.m. on March 12 in the parking lot of the Toms River Fitness Center on Route 37, according to Township Police Department spokesman Ralph Stocco. In each incident, the car window was smashed and a purse stolen.

Stocco said a witness reported seeing four men congregating near of the victim's vehicles before the theft. They left in a vehicle described as possibly a dark colored Nissan Cube, according to Stocco.

Four days later, one of the victims was notified that her bank account was compromised. Surveillance captured an image of a female suspect withdrawing more than $8,000 at TD Bank branches in Hamilton Township, Pennington, Princeton and Hillsborough, according to Stocco.  

For each transaction, the female suspect presented a savings withdrawal slip, and used the victim's driver’s license as identification, Stocco said.

The suspect vehicle appears to be a "Fiat 500", 4 door black, possibly 2016 model year.

Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Robert O'Neill at 732-249-0150, ext, 1255, or email him at: roneill@trpolice.org.