AUBURN – Bonnie Adler lately just cannot keep a full gas tank in her Trailblazer.
It’s not that the New Auburn woman travels a lot and burns up all her fuel. In fact, the gas gauge on the 1993 vehicle seems to drop while Adler is asleep.
Twice in the past week, Adler said someone has siphoned gas from her Trailblazer overnight. On Thursday, she noticed that the gas gauge had dropped dramatically after she had filled her tank the night before.
“I filled it up last night and today it was down to a quarter of a tank,” Adler said Thursday. “This is the second time. It happened last week, too.”
Police are investigating the thefts. Officers who went to Adler’s home found that a boat and two trucks parked in Adler’s yard had not been tampered with. It appeared that fuel had been taken from the Trailblazer only.
Adler estimated that about $30 worth of gas was taken in the latest siphoning theft. Because her Trailblazer is an older model, it was not equipped with locks or other gadgets to prevent someone from getting access to the tank.
“We’re looking for locking gas caps right now,” Adler said. “Those are certainly cheaper than gas, that’s for sure.”
Police in Lewiston and Auburn said they investigate their share of gas drive-offs from local filling stations, though there has not been a dramatic increase over recent weeks. Reports of someone siphoning fuel from parked cars are almost unheard-of.
“We haven’t heard of any of those recently,” said Lewiston police Sgt. Adam Higgins. “We’ve had our share of gas drive-offs, but I can’t honestly say there have been more than usual.”
With gas prices climbing toward $3 a gallon, some vehicle owners may be desperate for fuel. But police don’t believe siphoning is the method of choice for thieves looking for free gas.
“We don’t even hear about it happening much in big lots where there are a lot of parked vehicles,” said Moe Bolduc of the Auburn Police Department.
Adler is not so sure. If her vehicle can be targeted, she believes others can be, too. So, she’s taking steps to protect her private vehicles and putting out a warning about the problem.
“With gas as expensive as it is,” she said, “this could be the start of things to come.”
Comments are no longer available on this story