A CAR owner has been hit with a $4,000 repair bill when she noticed her engine began making sputtering sounds.
Heather Velasco was heading out to lunch with one of her coworkers when she noticed a strong gasoline smell in the area where she parked her Toyota on September 19.
Velasco had parked her pick-up truck outside Kindred Hospital in Rancho Cucamonga, California, just west of San Bernardino.
However, Velasco immediately pushed her concerns aside when she noticed a diesel truck nearby and believed the gasoline smell emanating from there.
But, when she got in her truck and began driving, her new Toyota, which she had purchased three years before, began making sputtering sounds.
“We drove across the street, and my car started sputtering,” Velasco told KTLA.
When she pulled over and began inspecting her vehicle, Velasco said she noticed her truck was leaking gas from underneath.
“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,” the mother of three said.
Velasco had to get her vehicle towed and was forced to pay $4,000 upfront or risk paying a $1,000 deductible with an increase in her auto insurance.
“It’s hard times. We’re living in times where everything is inflated,” she told KTLA.
“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.”
Velasco said her fuel tank cap was also damaged.
She reported the incident to police, who told the outlet that they had seen several cases of car siphoning in the Upland area.
Reports of car siphoning normally increase when prices of gasoline spike or when the economy is shaky, Inland police said.
In 2008, police were engulfed by a spike in car siphoning from residential cars, mobile homes, boats, and businesses, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Velasco is now concerned and more cautious about where she parks her vehicle.
“We should be able to go in, clock in, and feel like your stuff is safe out there,” she added.
Police advised concerned car owners to be aware of where they parked their vehicles and urged them to invest in an active car alarm system to deter thieves.
Car owners were also advised to park near a location with a known security camera presence.
“If you have access to it, park in a secure location like a garage or gates, then that would be best,” Upland police Sergeant Eric DiVincenzo told KTLA.
“But otherwise, parking underneath a lit area [would be as helpful].”
What is car siphoning?
What is car siphoning?
- Car siphoning is the process of illegally emptying a car’s fuel tank.
- The process involves a plastic tube, gravity, and suction, often with the mouth, to extract gasoline from the vehicle’s tank in a new container.
- Other times, a thief would simply drill holes in the victim’s vehicle to speed up the process.
- Ways to notice if your vehicle has fallen victim to car siphoning is when you try to start your vehicle, and it won’t start.
- Or if your vehicle starts and shows a significantly lower fuel level than when you parked it.
