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Stockton auto repair shops are getting a new kind of customer - those who have had their gas tanks punctured or drilled by thieves thirsting for the nearly $4-a-gallon fuel inside.
Paul La Berge, manager of Bruce & Jack's Auto Service at 847 N. El Dorado St., has been in the auto repair business since 1967. He saw his first case of gas-tank tapping two weeks ago.
"Obviously punched," he said, adding it was by someone who wanted to avoid sparking a fire with a drill.
The owner's gas tank had to be pulled and sent to a radiator shop for cleaning and repair at a total charge of about $300, he said.
Al Tassano, manager of Western Radiator Service, at 1780 E. Roosevelt St., said the shop has repaired holes drilled in several vehicle tanks in the past six months - mostly larger, heavier tanks that hold 45 to 50 gallons.
"It's actually pretty brazen, because you could start a fire - all it takes is a spark," he said.
Don McPhillips, owner of Chet's Auto Service and Repair, at 545 E. Miner Ave., said he hadn't seen such gas tank damage, but he expects he will.
"They're going to start doing that real soon, with the gas prices going up," he said.
Gas thefts aren't limited to urban areas.
As spring planting and harvest activity have increased along with fuel prices, so, too, have farm fuel thefts, said Tom Orvis, the San Joaquin Farm Bureau's program director.
Of four incidents in an alert put out by FarmTeam San Joaquin last week, three involved thefts of diesel or gasoline, said Orvis, who chairs the FarmTeam committee, which puts out farm-related crime alerts.
Farm fuel thefts are a constant problem but are getting worse as retail diesel prices run $5 a gallon or more.
While gas station drive-offs and siphoning are far more common methods of stealing gas, reports of tank and line puncturing are starting to trickle into police departments and repair shops across the country.
Some veteran mechanics and law enforcement officers say it's an unwelcome return of a crime they first saw during the Middle East oil embargo of the early 1970s.
Gasoline prices surged just before the long Memorial Day holiday weekend and have hit a new record national average $3.937 for a gallon of regular, according to a survey by AAA.
Tank puncturing has yet to reach the radar screens of law enforcement organizations such as the National Sheriffs' Association, or the Automotive Service Association, a group that represents independent garage operators.
Still, at least one insurance company has taken notice: AAA Mid-Atlantic issued a press release earlier this month that cited a case in April in Bethesda, Md., involving a thief who broke the fuel line underneath a car and sapped 5 gallons of gas.
"These are crimes of opportunity," AAA spokeswoman Catherine Rossi said.
Troy police Lt. Gerry Scherlinck said his suburban Detroit department this month received a report of a stored motor home whose tank was drained of 50 gallons of gas.
"Gas is liquid gold these days and has been for the last year and a half," Scherlinck said. "I would anticipate seeing more of these kinds of incidents as the price continues to go up."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact reporter Joe Goldeen at (209) 546-8278 or [email protected].
Stockton auto repair shops are getting a new kind of customer - those who have had their gas tanks punctured or drilled by thieves thirsting for the nearly $4-a-gallon fuel inside.
Paul La Berge, manager of Bruce & Jack's Auto Service at 847 N. El Dorado St., has been in the auto repair business since 1967. He saw his first case of gas-tank tapping two weeks ago.
"Obviously punched," he said, adding it was by someone who wanted to avoid sparking a fire with a drill.
The owner's gas tank had to be pulled and sent to a radiator shop for cleaning and repair at a total charge of about $300, he said.
Al Tassano, manager of Western Radiator Service, at 1780 E. Roosevelt St., said the shop has repaired holes drilled in several vehicle tanks in the past six months - mostly larger, heavier tanks that hold 45 to 50 gallons.
"It's actually pretty brazen, because you could start a fire - all it takes is a spark," he said.
Don McPhillips, owner of Chet's Auto Service and Repair, at 545 E. Miner Ave., said he hadn't seen such gas tank damage, but he expects he will.
"They're going to start doing that real soon, with the gas prices going up," he said.
Gas thefts aren't limited to urban areas.
As spring planting and harvest activity have increased along with fuel prices, so, too, have farm fuel thefts, said Tom Orvis, the San Joaquin Farm Bureau's program director.
Of four incidents in an alert put out by FarmTeam San Joaquin last week, three involved thefts of diesel or gasoline, said Orvis, who chairs the FarmTeam committee, which puts out farm-related crime alerts.
Farm fuel thefts are a constant problem but are getting worse as retail diesel prices run $5 a gallon or more.
While gas station drive-offs and siphoning are far more common methods of stealing gas, reports of tank and line puncturing are starting to trickle into police departments and repair shops across the country.
Some veteran mechanics and law enforcement officers say it's an unwelcome return of a crime they first saw during the Middle East oil embargo of the early 1970s.
Gasoline prices surged just before the long Memorial Day holiday weekend and have hit a new record national average $3.937 for a gallon of regular, according to a survey by AAA.
Tank puncturing has yet to reach the radar screens of law enforcement organizations such as the National Sheriffs' Association, or the Automotive Service Association, a group that represents independent garage operators.
Still, at least one insurance company has taken notice: AAA Mid-Atlantic issued a press release earlier this month that cited a case in April in Bethesda, Md., involving a thief who broke the fuel line underneath a car and sapped 5 gallons of gas.
"These are crimes of opportunity," AAA spokeswoman Catherine Rossi said.
Troy police Lt. Gerry Scherlinck said his suburban Detroit department this month received a report of a stored motor home whose tank was drained of 50 gallons of gas.
"Gas is liquid gold these days and has been for the last year and a half," Scherlinck said. "I would anticipate seeing more of these kinds of incidents as the price continues to go up."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact reporter Joe Goldeen at (209) 546-8278 or [email protected].
