GAS SIPHONING REPORTS IN EAST COUNTY

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

By Miriam Raftery

July 27, 2015 (Fletcher Hills) – As gas prices climb, gas thieves are on the prowl in East County.

Several residents in the Fletcher Hills area have posted notices on the Next Door online forum warning of gas siphoned from their vehicles. One post today reports gas siphoned from a truck parked on Jimzel. Another theft reportedly occurred from a truck parked on a driveway. A neighbor heard a noise at 2 a.m. and saw an old Bronco outside, but didn’t realize gas had been stolen until morning, when the gas cap was found off the truck. Another neighbor reported seeing a man in a Bronco loitering on their street a few weeks earlier at midnight.

The Ramona Sentinel reports that six juveniles were arrested earlier this month for siphoning gasoline from a truck parked at the Ramona Unified School District bus yard.

In November 2014, 10 News reported on a white taxicab whose driver was suspected of stealing gasoline from numerous vehicles. Surveillance video showed the cab pulling up behind parked vehicles from which gas was siphoned.

So how can you avoid becoming a victim of a gas thief?

A locking gas cap may help dissuade some thieves, however they can be opened with a screwdriver or lock picking tool.  A better option is to secure vehicles in a garage or park under a light or motion detector, in a place where the vehicle is visible to others.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.