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Thieves in North Carolina reportedly stole nearly 300 gallons, or $1,500 worth, of fuel from a gas station amid record-high fuel prices reported around the country.
Yogi Manocha, owner of the Quality Mart and Shell station near the intersection of Ten Ten Road and Kildaire Farm Road in Cary, claims that hundreds of gallons of premium gas were stolen from his store on Sunday (May 15), per WRAL.
The alleged thieves were even caught on video, with a dark green SUV pulling a trailer drove up the underground tank in order to steal 292 gallons of gas over the course of two hours. Another vehicle, a silver van, was also seen in the parking lot early Sunday morning. See photos here.
"They knew everything," said Manocha. "They're professionals. They had a trailer, they had pumps, pipes."
According to Monocha, the station had 4,862 gallons of gas when it closed on Saturday night. By Sunday morning, however, the levels had dropped to 4,570. A "sudden loss alarm" was triggered between 6 and 7 a.m., suggesting that is when the thieves got away with the nearly 300 gallons of fuel.
While Manocha hopes someone comes forward with information about the theft, he urges other gas station owners to carefully monitor their own supply.
"Everybody is really surprised to know that this has happened," he said. "Nobody has ever had this before, or maybe it's happening, but nobody noticed it."
While Cary Police have not received reports of similar incidents in the area, this isn't the first time a gas station in North Carolina has been the target of criminals stealing its fuel. In March, an owner in High Point reported that nearly 400 gallons were stolen from his station, totaling around $1,600.