RICHMOND, Va. -- As many are continuing to feel the financial strain of rising gas prices, some are avoiding the price altogether by stealing it.
Brenna Reed said she walked to her car after work last Thursday only to find the gas tank that she had just filled up the night before was now empty.
She said her car was parked in the back parking lot of her job in Midlothian. Despite the cameras on the back of the building, thieves opened her gas cover, cut the cap and siphoned the gas from her car.
"It's just sad they're making these choices and affecting people who, not that they aren't working hard, but people who are," Brenna said.
Morgan Dean with AAA warns drivers to be extra cautious about where they park as some thieves are draining gas directly from the tanks by drilling holes in them since most new cars have rollover gas covers.
"If you have to park on the street, park so that your tank is on the street side. That makes it harder for thieves to be able to do anything on that side of the car," Dean said.
Dean added that if you find your gas tank with a hole in it, most comprehensive insurance plans will cover it under the vandalism clause.
