Thieves are plucking cars from Mount Laurel's Greyhound station this summer like ripe berries from a secluded patch.
More cars have been stolen from the bus station lot, off Fellowship Road, than in any previous summer, said Saunders Weinstein, public safety director for Mount Laurel.
Eighteen car thefts have been reported since June 1, police officials said Wednesday. There have been dozens of other incidents of attempted theft, damage and items stolen from cars, they said.
"It's a large lot, and parts of it are very remote," Weinstein said in an interview last week.
"We are increasing patrols and surveillance there and encouraging Greyhound officials to increase security, as well. . . . (Car thefts have) been a township-wide problem this summer."
On many weekdays, more than 100 cars fill the nearly two-acre lot. The Mount Laurel terminal is a major hub for South Jersey commuters who travel to work in North Jersey and New York City, and for people heading to the Atlantic City casinos. Many of the cars are left in the unattended lot from morning till night.
Compounding the problem is the station's secluded location. It is shrouded by heavy brush and tucked behind the OkiData Inc. office complex on Fellowship Road and the Budget Motor Lodge on Route 73.
The problem seems to be confined to the lot. Security personnel at OkiData and Budget Motor Lodge said no cars had been stolen from their lots in at least six months.
Lt. Ray Burgess said a ring of car thieves associated with a Camden chop shop might be targeting the station lot, where sporty cars such as Pontiac Firebirds, Mazda RX-7s and Chevrolet Camaros are the choice targets. Several of the cars were recovered in Camden after being stripped, set on fire and abandoned, he said.
Burgess said police had arrested three Camden males, whose names have not been released because they might be juveniles, in connection with one car theft and two attempted thefts on Aug. 25. Police arrested them after chasing and stopping two cars seen speeding out of the lot that night. One car was stolen from the station; the other was taken from Deptford.
Those arrests did not solve the problem, however.
Later that evening, another car was stolen from the station, and five more vehicles were taken that week.
Currently, staffers at the Mount Laurel Greyhound station do not monitor the parking lot. A large sign on one of the entrance gates warns each car owner to "Park at Your Own Risk."
