SAN JOSE, Calif. -- When the owner of 1-800-Dry Clean got to work at a San Jose, Calif., parking lot, he said he noticed holes poked in the gas tank of both of his vans.
"Somebody poked holes in the gas tanks and tried to steal buckets of gas," Larry Shifman said.
Shifman owns two vans he uses for picking up and delivering dry cleaning. He said they were vandalized overnight.
Shifman said a street sweeper saw people tampering with the van but they didn't catch them.
Gas leaked onto the pavement. A hazmat team was called out to clean it up. Shifman said he is surprised.
"Obviously, gas prices have hurt us bad," Shifman said. "We have a pickup and delivery business. I don't know how much people expect to get out of this. Maybe they will get $8 or $10 worth of gas."
San Jose police detectives said such gas thefts do not surprise them.
"This type of crime is on the rise, big time," Sgt. Mike Sullivan said.
According to San Jose police records, there have been at least 10 incidents in which people siphoned off gas from parked cars and trucks.
One of the hardest hit victims was Second Harvest Food Bank. About a week and a half ago, thieves stole 200 gallons of gas from three delivery trucks.
That adds up to $800 in stolen gas, plus $1,500 to put locking gas caps on a fleet of 20 trucks. The cash outlay has a direct impact on hungry families.
"So since we serve two meals for every dollar, it's about 4,000 meals out in the community that are just missing now," said food bank spokeswoman Lynn Crocker.
Police told NBC affiliate KNTV there are things people can do to protect themselves against thieves. You can park your car inside a garage or behind a fence when ever possible.
If you have to park your car outside, make sure it is in a lighted area. And if you don't have a locking gas cap, get one
"Somebody poked holes in the gas tanks and tried to steal buckets of gas," Larry Shifman said.
Shifman owns two vans he uses for picking up and delivering dry cleaning. He said they were vandalized overnight.
Shifman said a street sweeper saw people tampering with the van but they didn't catch them.
Gas leaked onto the pavement. A hazmat team was called out to clean it up. Shifman said he is surprised.
"Obviously, gas prices have hurt us bad," Shifman said. "We have a pickup and delivery business. I don't know how much people expect to get out of this. Maybe they will get $8 or $10 worth of gas."
San Jose police detectives said such gas thefts do not surprise them.
"This type of crime is on the rise, big time," Sgt. Mike Sullivan said.
According to San Jose police records, there have been at least 10 incidents in which people siphoned off gas from parked cars and trucks.
One of the hardest hit victims was Second Harvest Food Bank. About a week and a half ago, thieves stole 200 gallons of gas from three delivery trucks.
That adds up to $800 in stolen gas, plus $1,500 to put locking gas caps on a fleet of 20 trucks. The cash outlay has a direct impact on hungry families.
"So since we serve two meals for every dollar, it's about 4,000 meals out in the community that are just missing now," said food bank spokeswoman Lynn Crocker.
Police told NBC affiliate KNTV there are things people can do to protect themselves against thieves. You can park your car inside a garage or behind a fence when ever possible.
If you have to park your car outside, make sure it is in a lighted area. And if you don't have a locking gas cap, get one
