Will Samson, a Vancouver, Washington homeowner of over a decade, says his neighborhood used to be quiet. Until recently, when a fuel thief began drilling holes into gas tanks from the underside of diesel trucks.

“I came out here and started my car and realized it was empty,” Samson told KPTV. “So I drove down to the gas station, figured someone siphoned it because I just filled up two days before.”

On his way home, he realized his issues were beyond a siphoning. He watched as his truck’s gas gauge steadily dropped, and his miles to empty estimation dropped by the second.

“My gas meter just went down, it said 500 miles left in the tank, then a block later it went down to 470, down to 450, I got home then it was down to 300,” he said. A quick look underneath his new Ram pickup truck revealed the cause: a fine hole had been drilled into the tank. He watched the fuel pour onto the street.

What frustrated Samson the most was knowing he wasn’t the only one.

“It’s a drill hole! He got the same thing right over there and so did the neighbor down the street,” he said, gesturing to his neighbor’s house. “It’s frustrating to think people go that route to vandalize other people’s property for a minor benefit they just don’t understand how much that is costing not just me but the city as a whole.”

The cost of the petty theft is a hefty one for Samson’s truck

Taking it to the dealership didn’t come with happy results. To Samson’s dismay, technicians told him his truck’s tank couldn’t be patched or repaired. Instead, it needed to be removed and replaced. A repair that Samson or his neighbor didn’t anticipate.

“It’s probably going to be around $2,000 to $3,000 to get it fixed,” he said. The thief likely made off with around $50 worth of fuel but caused thousands in damages.

It’s also a blow to the environment. His truck’s diesel fuel doesn’t evaporate like gasoline due to oil being mixed in, so the city has to use sand to soak it up.