According to a new allegation, thieves took roughly 400 gallons of gas from a North Carolina gas station this week, as U.S. gas prices set a record high.
A suspect utilized a sophisticated device to bypass the payment system after business hours, allowing more than 15 automobiles to fill their tanks for free, according to the owner of Bizzy Bee Grocery Store and Gas Station in High Point.
According to owner Hardik Patel, the drivers stole $1,600 worth of gas in roughly 45 minutes.
Bystanders who saw an unusual amount of cars at the closed petrol station notified police to the heist.
“I’ve been in business for 15 years and owned other gas stations. I have never seen something like this. It wasn’t free, they were stealing.”
The incident is being investigated by the High Point Police Department, but no arrests have yet been made.
To prevent future theft, Patel wants to turn off his pumps when the station shuts for the night.
According to AAA, the national average price normal gas in the United States touched $4.325 per gallon on Monday, nearly a week after it surpassed the previous high of $4.114 set in July 2008. On Thursday, the national average was $4.289 per gallon.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, police in Atlanta, Ga., detained a guy for allegedly rupturing gas tanks and swiping gasoline.
The suspect seemed to have used a tool to drill a hole in the gas tanks of the victims’ vehicles during these crimes, resulting in hundreds or thousands of dollars in additional expenditures to the victims for gas tank repairs, according to the police.
