A service technician was preparing to inspect a used Jeep when he discovered a gas leak. The tech put the vehicle on a hoist, and “as soon as he put it in the air, everybody could see that somebody had actually drilled a hole into the fuel tank” to steal the gas, Gross said.
The thief at the Wisconsin dealership caused about $1,500 in damage to the Jeep for some three gallons of gas, Gross said. But thieves elsewhere are reported to have gotten away with thousands of dollars in gasoline.
Mandeep Singh, a gas station owner in Duncanville, Texas, has had about $27,000 worth of gas stolen over the past few months. He wouldn’t reveal to CNN how the thefts are happening, because he doesn’t want others to try the same thing.
“This guy must be working for some type of gas dispenser company because he had way too much information,” Singh said, such as “how to take parts out (of the gas dispensers) and play with the system. No normal person can do it; the only person who can do that is someone who actually works for dispensers.”
Police are working on the case, and Singh has added security at his station.
“We’re hoping that there will be justice,” he said. “That’s a lot of money for us to lose.”
Thayil is “kind of frustrated and angry,” he said. “I can’t pass this off to my customer.”
The victims are not just business owners. Around the country, people are reporting their gas tanks had been drilled into and the gas stolen.
Drilling a hole in a gas tank is the only way to get gas out of the tank of newer cars, which have a valve that prevents gas from spilling in the case of a crash, according to AAA. The valve also prevents gas from being siphoned out of a tank the old-fashioned way.
How to protect from gas thefts
AAA has had so many inquiries about gas theft, it has put together a list of advice for avoiding it, according to Andrew Gross, public relations manager for AAA National.
Tips include parking in your garage if you have one, and when out, park in well-lit places with high foot traffic, or if possible, in a fenced-in lot or parking garage.
If you suspect your tank has been drilled — judging by the smell or puddles of gas near the tank — take your vehicle to a trusted repair facility as soon as possible, AAA advises.