Gas Thieves Siphoning Natomas Residents' Fuel
SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — With gas prices nearing $4 a gallon, a surge in gas siphoning is putting a drain on Natomas drivers' wallets.
Daniel Chavis is stunned and angry that somebody siphoned all the gas out of his truck on Sunday night, preventing him from getting to work on time the next morning.
"It's concerning," he said. "You don't feel too safe knowing people can just come and go. I've got the security light that pops on and it doesn't seem to stop them."
Just two weeks earlier, in the same Regency Park neighborhood, Gail Henderson says her truck was hit for the sixth time in several months.
"Locking gas caps, they broke them off," she said. "They are nice enough to leave the caps on top of the tires or the bed, so I know that it's been tampered with."
She says gas wasn't the only expense the thieves cost her.
"Sometimes they cut the hose over there to use our own hose to siphon the gas," she said.
Neighbors believe rising gas prices are why the thieves keep coming, and the victims are having to pay to fill up more often.
Henderson says because the thefts keep happening, she's had to take preventative measures.
"We don't fill them up anymore, just for that reason," she said.
Chavis and Henderson worry they could be hit again in a crime spree that hits too close to home.
Police recommend residents always keep your vehicle locked and parked in a well-lit area or garage if you have one.
