Southern California thieves drill into vehicles to steal gasoline

An Inland Empire resident is warning others after thieves targeted and drilled into her vehicle to steal gasoline.

The incident occurred on Sept. 19 as Heather Velasco parked her truck outside Kindred Hospital in Rancho Cucamonga where she works.

Later that day, she and a coworker were heading out to lunch when she approached her truck and noticed a strong gasoline odor.

Thinking it was emanating from a nearby diesel truck, they got into the car and began driving but immediately, Velasco knew something was wrong. Her truck was only three years old, so she was surprised anything would be malfunctioning.

“We drove across the street and my car started sputtering,” she recalled.

She eventually pulled over and that’s when she discovered someone had drilled into her truck’s fuel tank to empty the vehicle.

“I just looked under and sure enough, there was a hole and it was leaking gas and then I looked up and I saw another hole,” she said.

Velasco called the police and had her truck towed away. She was left with costly repairs in the aftermath — pay $4,000 upfront to fix the damages or pay a $1,000 deductible with an increase to her insurance premium. She chose to fix her truck by claiming her insurance.

She was also left without a car for a week which meant relying on others to drive her three children to school and at times, missing out on shifts at her workplace.

“It’s hard times,” Velasco said. “We’re living in times where everything is inflated. Trying to raise a family and trying to do things right. You’re not getting anywhere because you got these criminals on the run and they’re just doing whatever they want.”

Police noted there have been several cases of gas siphoning in the area since 2023.

In nearby Upland, police arrested a man on Sept. 23 for allegedly trying to steal gas from a box truck on the 800 block of North Mountain Avenue.

Velasco said she’s thankful no one was hurt, but is now worried that she can’t safely park her truck anywhere without fear of being targeted again.

“We should be able to go in, clock in and feel like your stuff is safe out there,” she said of parking at her workplace.

Local police recommend protecting your vehicle by having an active alarm system to deter thieves and parking near security cameras when possible.

“If you have access to it, park in a secure location like a garage or gated area, then that would be best, but otherwise parking underneath a lit area [would also be helpful],” said Upland Police Sgt. Eric DiVincenzo.

No suspect has been arrested so far as the incident remains under investigation.