Photo: Getty Images
You've heard about thieves siphoning gas from vehicles. It seems to happen more often when gas prices are high. Well, now prices are REALLY high, and apparently, siphoning operations are getting sophisticated.
Thieves in Houston decided to siphon gas from the SOURCE . . . the gas STATION. And they didn't even bother messing around with the pump. They stole the gas out from under the station . . . literally.
They drove up in a green minivan . . . stopped over the caps to the underground tanks . . . opened a TRAP DOOR in the floor of the vehicle . . . broke into the tank . . . put a hose down . . . and siphoned the gas out.
They did this THREE separate times last week, and tried to do it a fourth time, but they were chased off by the owner. He claims they've stolen over 1,000 gallons of diesel, which has cost him about $5,000.
The thieves are still on the run . . . and since they've gone to the trouble to customize their vehicle from a soccer mom ride to an "Ocean's 11"-style heist machine capable of carrying hundreds of gallons of diesel . . . it seems likely that they'll attempt to hit other gas stations.
(KHOU.com has surveillance footage of the van at the gas station.) Image © 2022 Getty Images