Your Gas Tank: Easy Pickings for Thieves

MCDONOUGH, Ga. -- Gas thieves in Henry County are going driveway to driveway, in the middle of the night, siphoning gasoline from cars and trucks that are parked outside the owners' homes.

"It's not right," said gas theft victim Angela McClure of McDonough, standing next to the empty tank of her 2002 Oldsmobile Alero. "We've got to pay for it, too. So, I think they should have to. Instead of stealing it from innocent people. It's not right. It's sad."

Someone stole gas from five vehicles in one night in her neighborhood last week.

The thief or thieves targeted older cars and trucks that were not locked in garages and do not have locking gas cover doors or locking gas caps.

"Nobody heard anything," said another gas theft victim from the neighborhood, Norma Taylor. "I guess they did it in the middle of the night when everybody was asleep."

When she went outside that morning, she noticed the gas cap of her 1989 Dodge Ram van was on the driveway, and the gas cover door was open.

Soon she realized her gas tank was empty. It had been half full, with about $60 worth of regular.

"This is just bad. When the gas has got so high, people got to go out and try and steal gas to fill their tanks up. Coming out of my pocket."

"Since last week, we've seen a big increase in gasoline thefts," said Capt. Kyle Helgerson of the McDonough Police Department. "It takes just minutes to get the gasoline out and into another container, and then they're gone."

Helgerson suggests people buy key-locked gas caps, and, if possible, keep their vehicles locked inside garages, which might slow down a thief who's in a hurry.

"Unfortunately, there's not a fool-proof way to protect the gasoline in your vehicle."

In one auto supply store in Henry County, sales of locking gas caps for various model vehicles are picking up, at $10 to $15 each. Right next to the locking gas caps, on the same sales rack, plastic siphon pumps and tubes are selling for $1.99 each.

"People are getting desperate," said Franklin Smith. Someone tried to steal gas from his 2005 GMC Sierra pickup, parked outside his home, last week.

"The gas tank was facing the road, which was an open invitation, to say the least."

But the thief was not able to push the siphon hose into the gas tank, because that model truck has a baffle in the line that blocked the hose.

Smith lives in the neighborhood where five of his neighbors were robbed of their fuel.

"High prices, we're paying for it, even for them. The criminals, that is," Smith said.

Some gas thieves are not bothering with siphon hoses or pumps or locking gas caps or baffles. They're just using screwdrivers or other tools to puncture the gas tanks. The gas pours straight into funnels and into the thief's containers.

"Everybody needs to be on the lookout for this" increase in gas thefts, said Capt. Helgerson. "It's going to be a recurring issue. Especially with the rise in gas prices. And there doesn't seem to be an end with it."

Another suggestion, he said, is never fill up. Less gas in the tank, less gas for a thief to steal.

About the only fool-proof way to protect your liquid gold: lock your car in a bank vault.

If and when the thieves are caught, they could face felony charges of entering a vehicle, in addition to the theft charges.