With gas prices surging, nearly $1 more per gallon than last year in Texas, people are desperate for solutions. Lookouts are spotting and promoting low prices at certain stores that seem like operator fumbles, and a gas giveaway flooded one station parking lot for hours. Now, folks are reporting nefarious efforts at cutting costs may at play in the form of gas siphoning.
Oil theft is climbing rapidly in the Permian Basin under Texas and New Mexico, which produces nearly half of all crude oil mined in the U.S. But there’s been little word on whether this is translating to private vehicle gas theft in Texas – an issue that’s plagued the state for decades.
However, a recent video going viral in San Antonio suggests there could be a spike soon enough. One resident, driving down the Bravo Valley Street on the Westside of the city, found rows and rows of street-parked cars with the flap covering their gas cans opened.
“All their [gas] tanks are open all here on Marbach Road,” a passenger in the vehicle said, showing the dozen or so vehicles with their gas flaps left ajar.
While it seems like a string of older vehicles may have been hit on this particular street, the San Antonio Police Department says there has not been a rise in gas theft reports. In fact, a spokesperson said there have been zero reports so far this year. It’s a felon charge in Texas to steal gas, punishable by a state jail felony if the amount is less than $10,000.
Some people suggested it may have been children walking down the street opening gas flaps, noting the gaps inside all seemed to be screwed on still.
“Currently, we have not seen any reports of gasoline thefts that I am aware of,” Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joshua Hamby told MySA. “Regardless, we urge the public to practice the ‘9 PM Routine’ every evening,” advising residents to park their vehicles in well-lit areas where surveillance is possible to catch potential burglars.
Commenters were quick to note the rise in gas prices as the likely culprit for this string of gas siphoning attempts, but they certainly weren’t cutting these ne’er-do-wells any slack.
Most vehicles built in the 90s or later likely have some form anti-siphoning mechanism in place, in the form of a mesh screen preventing nefarious tuber operators from reaching your gas or a one-way flow valve that blocks gas from going out the wrong way. But there are some tips to boost protection.
Parking on a flat surface can ensure your full tank doesn’t send gas floating above that mesh stopper, in case your vehicle doesn’t have that valve as extra protection.
While a lot of modern vehicles have locking gas flaps, there’s not much stopping a would-be thief with enough time and opportunity from prying that flap open with brute force or breaking a window to pull that under-seat latch.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office suggest investing in additional deterrent tools, like a locking gas gap. It’s a gas cap replacement that requires a key to access, and it can run anywhere from $25 to well over $100. But you often get what you pay for. This is an especially helpful add on for anyone driving an older model without any gas flap locking mechanism.
Of course, BCSO officials urge residents to park their vehicles in well-lit areas. And if surveillance cameras are out of the budget, the Sheriff’s Office’s 9 p.m. Routine suggests motion-detecting lights could deter potential criminals.