Thefts Soaring With Price Of Gas - Stealing Gas is crazy!

This article is from: Thefts Soaring With Price Of Gas - San Diego News Story - KGTV San Diego

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CARLSBAD, Calif. -- With gas prices sky high, thieves are now turning to more extreme means to steal gas.

An ever more brazen crime is playing out in the North County.


Point to a hole in his gas tank, “That's where the hole is,” said Joe Leggio, whose pain at the pump has become a slow drip.

Pointing to a slow drip from the hole, Leggio said: “That's what's left of my fuel.”


It's a sight Leggio is very familiar with.


He owns a carpet cleaning business, and, once again, his only van is out of commission.


“I’m very mad, very upset,” Leggio told 10News.

He’s upset after he parked the van overnight, as he always does, at a Carlsbad business park.


When he went to drive it, he noticed the fuel was very low.


“I got to the gas station to pour it in and it pours all over my feet,” Leggio recalled.


It turns out someone had slashed the gas line and stolen the gas.


Then, Monday morning, at the same business park, the thief struck again.


This time, the thief didn't bother with the gas line, instead, going right to the source. The thief drilled into the gas tank.


The thief got away with about 100 dollars in gas and also left the vehicle’s owner with a hefty repair bill of $1,182.10.


Expenses others are also now dealing with.

The Escondido Humane Society has also been the victim of gas thefts for more than a year.


In Carlsbad, the gas lines of several more vans were also cut recently.


As for the latest victim, he plans to pay for a secure parking spot.


“I can't afford this anymore. It’s too much,” said Leggio.

Many others are shelling out replacing their gas caps with locking ones.


But if you're talking about a cut gas line, or a punctured gas tank, those won't do much good.


The best advice, experts say: find a well-lit, high-traffic parking spot or one that's locked up.