SAN DIEGO — Gas prices have dropped below six dollars a gallon, however many San Diegans are still dealing with gas thieves.
"I feel violated. this is my property. I pay a lot of money for my car," said Lisa Mezta, who lives in North Park.
She says her gas was siphoned around 8 p.m. Friday.
"This was the end sticking out and I assumed since it was stuck they cut it," she said.
She had just parked her car on the street, ran inside to drop off groceries and when she returned twenty minutes later to find a hose hanging out of her gas tank.
"At first I was shocked and second I was just really angry. I get gas prices are really high here but it's high for everybody and we're all doing what we can," she said.
She's one of several San Diegans we've recently talked to who had their gas stolen. Just last week we introduced you to a man living downtown who had his gas tank drilled by a thief.
"Whenever you see gas prices rise, you start to see thieves take advantage of this easy crime of opportunity very similar to catalytic converter thefts when the price of those precious metals rise," said Jennifer Atenza, public information officer with the Oceanside Police Department.
Oceanside police recommend parking in well-lit areas to ward off a gas thief. Take measures to make it harder for someone to get to your gas tank.
"If you have the ability to park and make it difficult for a thief to access that side of the vehicle where the tank or gas cap is that's a great idea. Park against a garage, fence gate," Atenza said.
There are several other simple things you can do that could help save you from gas siphoning. This includes buying a locking gas cap and parking your car in a gated area or garage if possible.
"I feel I'm gonna be as cautious as I can when I park and park as close as I can to my apartment," Mezta said.
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