After a stolen vehicle crashed into oncoming traffic in Lynn, Massachusetts - leaving one woman recovering in the hospital - police say the person behind the wheel was a teenager who claims to be a part of the Trinitarios gang.
The Trinitarios formed back in the 1990s in New York City. The gang was created as a way to protect themselves from rival gangs like the Latin Kings.
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While the gang’s primary source of income is through illegal narcotics, they have also adopted other streams of revenue.
“One of their second sources of income has been identity theft they were the pioneers in the phishing scandals,” said Edwin Torres, a special agent for the New Jersey Commission.
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Now, the Trinitarios’ reach stretches across the country- with some of their members operating here in Massachusetts.
The teen police caught driving the stolen vehicle was from Haverhill. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts, the Trinitarios operate out of Lawrence and the surrounding areas.
Today, one of the concerns for experts on gang violence is the age at which members are joining.
“Juveniles don't do the amount of time that an adult does, so they can use them to be their stunt dummies if you will,” said Torres.
And the Trinitarios aren’t the only gang out there trying to recruit youth. With social media playing a huge role in the way teens communicate, gangs create their own forms of social media to try reach out to the younger generation.
“This is who you are on social media, this is who you call yourself on social media, this is the gang you say you are on social media. It's a whole different thing,” said Antonio Gutierrez, a former gang member who helped start the Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy Program.
Now the experts are asking parents to step in and monitor their children’s online activity closely.
“Know who your kid associates with, knowing what your kid is doing when you're not watching, looking at their social media accounts, understanding who their friends with,” said Torres.
The teen arrested for driving the stolen vehicle now faces a slew of charges including speeding and receiving a stolen vehicle.
