Gas theft is back again, and it has gotten meaner. With gasoline prices at their highest in four years, thieves have moved on from siphoning off gas to making holes in fuel tanks on parked cars.
The method is simple and especially brutal in its aftereffects. A thief needs only an electric drill or a punch in both plastic or metal gas tanks, a few minutes, and something to catch the fuel.
The driver, meanwhile, is left with a ruined tank and a repair bill that can run up to $3,000 for a replacement gas tank, if they’re not jerry-rigging a sealant-fix together.