CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -Drivers across Northeast Ohio have watched gas prices climb sharply over the past few days, with some stations coming close to the $5 mark and analysts say relief may not be coming soon.

At one Cleveland gas station, the price on the sign read $4.99, a number drivers say is becoming harder to avoid.

Many people filling up Wednesday evening told 19 News they’re frustrated by the rapid increases.

“It’s crazy. Sooner or later, we’re going to be at like $5 or like $6,” one driver said.

Another driver added, “We’re getting gas now, but not here.”

According to AAA, the average price for gas in Ohio is $4.22 for regular fuel as of Wednesday. In Cleveland the average was $4.23.

One major factor: crude oil prices. Those prices are trading above $100 a barrel, which can raise the cost of gasoline.

“Crude oil is the main ingredient of gasoline,” said Jim Garrity, the director of public affairs for AAA east central. “So, when it goes up and down, even by a couple dollars here and there, that has an impact on the pump.”

Experts say the last time Ohio experienced prices this high was 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine conflict pushed gas prices above $5 a gallon.

Garrity added even when the U.S. isn’t buying oil directly from certain countries, global events can still affect prices here.”

“Even though we’re not importing Iranian oil in America, it is a globally traded commodity,” Garrity said. “When you see an impact happen overseas well, that splash has ripples and those ripples make their way to us.”

When 19 News was at another Cleveland gas station, prices changed quickly: within about 30 minutes, the price jumped from $4.79 to $4.99. It cost us $30.55 for a little more than six gallons.

“The lady said they went up 70 cents,” another driver said. “She said it was $4.19 earlier, then it shot up to $4.79. Now it’s $4.99. I was going to get gas yesterday, but I forgot.”

One driver who uses premium gas said the surge hits even harder.

“It’s $4.99, I just texted my buddy yesterday, like oh it jumped 80 cents,” the driver said. “I’m glad I’ve got a company card, but this is my personal and I’ve got to spend almost $6 a gallon on gas because it’s premium.”

As for whether prices will drop soon, Garrity says it depends on what crude oil does next.

“What happens next remains to be seen with crude oil prices,” he said.

Garrity says a few options to say on gasoline is drive less or Slow down.

“The faster you go, at AAA, we have found every roughly 5 miles over 50 an hour you’re going, you’re exponentially burning fuel less efficiently and that’s making you a less safe driver, but it’s also making your car work harder and burning fuel less efficiently,” Garrity said.

CLEVELAND (WJW) — The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified skeletal remains found earlier this month at a home on Cleveland’s east side as a woman who’s been missing since 2019.

Paige Natassia Coffey, of Bratenahl, Ohio, was reported missing on May 17, 2019, after having no contact with family members for several days, according to the FBI.

Coffey was 27 years old at the time of her disappearance and would have turned 35 later this year.

Coffey was last seen on May 7, 2019, at a Home Depot in Cleveland, according to investigators.

Cleveland Missing on Wednesday, April 29, released a statement on behalf of Coffey’s family:

“They are devastated by this loss, and we at Cleveland Missing grieve alongside them,” wrote co-founder Sylvia Colon. “They wish to extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped search for Paige, and to the members of the media who kept her story alive.”

Her remains were found on April 17, 2026, at a vacant home on the city’s east side, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The cause and manner of Coffey’s death are still under investigation.

The Bratenahl police chief told Nexstar’s NewsNation last year they had identified a person of interest in the case: Coffey’s former boyfriend, with whom she had recently reunited.

The last time Coffey was seen was with Mason, on a store’s surveillance footage from May 2019, reported NewsNation.

Federal court records show Mason has been jailed since 2024, awaiting trial on a firearm charge in Ohio’s Northern District federal court.

Greg Nelsen, FBI Cleveland special agent in charge, released a statement earlier this year, asking the public for new leads:

“We understand someone with information may be hesitant to come forward out of fear. Know that your identity can remain anonymous when sharing information with the FBI. We encourage anyone with information, no matter how long it has been, how insignificant you may think it is, or if there are details you may now remember, such as overhearing or recalling another person discussing Paige, seeing her with another person during or since the time she went missing, or knowing someone who may have information that we should talk to and think that person could be helpful in the investigation, to step up.”

The FBI recently offered a $10,000 reward for information on her whereabouts.

Multifamily construction not meeting demand

A new report released today by international real estate firm Colliers shows that multifamily development in Greater Cleveland isn’t keeping up with demand. The result is that average rents in the Cleveland area are now the highest of any metro area in the state.

Colliers said that 1,601 apartments are typically built each year in Greater Cleveland to meet an average annual demand of about 1,976 multifamily housing units — the second-highest demand in the state behind Columbus’ 7,156 units.

But while metro Columbus had 9,123 apartments under construction in the first quarter of 2026, metro Cleveland had only 1,203 apartments being built in that same three-month period.

By comparison, Greater Cincinnati has a typical annual demand for 1,121 units of multifamily housing which is met by an annual average of 1,944 units. But in the first quarter of 2026, Cincinnati had 3,575 apartments under construction.

That translated into an average rent per square foot in January-March 2026 of $1.60 in Greater Cleveland, $1.58 in Cincinnati and $1.47 in Columbus.

More apartment construction is needed in Greater Cleveland to keep up with demand. Without it, the metro area will continue to have the highest rents per square foot in the state (NEOtrans).

The typical size of an apartment in Cincinnati is slightly larger than those in Cleveland, so the average monthly rent for an apartment in Cincinnati is the highest at $1,511. Cleveland is next at $1,419 and Columbus third at $1,405.

“The development pipeline (in Cleveland) continues to shrink, with units under construction falling to about 1,203 from 1,461 last quarter and 3,672 one year ago,” Collier said in its report.

“That drop in future supply is one of the most important trends in the market right now, because it should help Cleveland maintain healthy occupancy and support rent growth as 2026 moves forward,” the report explained, noting that higher rents will attract new construction.

“That is a strong signal for the market, especially after several years of elevated deliveries,” the report noted. “Over the last five years, Cleveland has generally operated in the mid-95 percent occupancy range, and current performance remains in line with that trend.”

The other big development on Cleveland’s Scranton Peninsula is Triton at The Flats, opening after The Collins across the street (NEOtrans).

In part, Colliers used data generated by Real Capital Analytics, a data model managed by MSCI Inc., a finance, equity and real estate analysis company headquartered in New York City.

“Cleveland’s multifamily market remained healthy in Q1 2026, with inventory rising to approximately 178,925 units and occupancy holding at 95.8 percent,” Colliers said in its report.

The report noted that while construction locally has dropped below demand, vacant units are filling the gap. Yet Cleveland had fewer vacant units than Ohio’s other two big C’s.

“Vacant units totaled about 7,533, down from roughly 7,719 last quarter,” Colliers said of Cleveland’s apartment market. “Demand continued to absorb most of the new supply, keeping overall fundamentals stable.”

Not all new multifamily inventory comes from new construction. In Downtown Cleveland, most of it comes from converting older, obsolete office buildings into housing plus other uses like hotel and retail, as seen here with Project Scarlet’s remake of the Rose Building at East 9th Street and Prospect Avenue (NEOtrans).

Greater Columbus may have Ohio’s largest multifamily inventory at 218,113 apartments, it also has the most vacant units at 10,382. Greater Cincinnati’s inventory had 173,050 apartments with 7,562 of them vacant in the Q1 2026.

“Market conditions also improved from a year ago,” Colliers said. “Occupancy increased from 94.5 percent in Q1 2024 to 95.8 percent in Q1 2026, showing that Cleveland has been able to work through added inventory without a meaningful drop in performance.”

Leasing conditions are still competitive in the Cleveland market and the market remains on solid footing. Colliers said newer projects are creating pressure in certain pockets, especially where owners are competing for renters more aggressively, but the broader market continues to benefit from steady demand and a stable base of occupied units.

“In simple terms, Cleveland is not overheating, but it is also not slipping,” the report summarized. “It is holding up well.”

END