Fuel theft, by methods such as drilling holes to drain all the fuel out of a vehicle, is...

Fuel theft, by methods such as drilling holes to drain all the fuel out of a vehicle, is becoming a bigger issue for fleets across the country, especially as gas prices increase.

Photo by Chris Brown

As the fuel prices continue to increase, there’s more of a concern for gas theft.

Stacy Houston, owner of a Las Vegas biohazard cleanup company, recently experienced fuel theft with five of her fleet trucks. When she arrived at the office, she discovered that someone opened the gas doors of five trucks and drilled holes into the fuel tanks to drain all the fuel out of them, according to a report by NewsNation.

“One of them is a 14-foot box truck that’s like $200 worth of gas,” Houston told NewsNation. “I understand people are hurting, but we are all in the same position. We are all paying the same for gas.”

In Atlanta, police arrested a man accused of damaging vehicles by puncturing gas tanks to steal gasoline.

During these crimes, the suspect appeared to use a tool to drill a hole into the gas tanks of the vehicles, resulting in hundreds or thousands of dollars of extra costs for gas tank repairs, according to a press release by the Atlanta Police Department. The suspect was charged with multiple counts of entering these vehicles and criminal damage to property.

Emery Shen, a gas station service technician, said he's had calls about thefts at several gas stations, according to a report by ABC7 Chicago. "There's been reports of people siphoning gas directly out of the tanks,” he told ABC7. “Putting a hose down into gas tank and sucking out. We are also hearing reports of people drilling in the gas tanks taking gas out of cars directly."

If possible, law enforcement officials urge people to park their vehicles in a garage or a well-lit area to avoid fuel theft, according to the NewsNation report.

Originally posted on Auto Rental News

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