19-year-old steals $42,000 in fuel in twice-weekly trips to station, California cops say

A 19-year-old man stole an estimated $42,000 in fuel from a San Diego-area gas station over the course of months of twice-weekly visits, California sheriff’s officials reported.

The station near National City just south of San Diego noticed the thefts, which began in June, when fuel sales did not match fuel consumption, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said in a Dec 2 news release.

The man stole about $2,000 in gasoline on each visit, filling plastic containers in his vehicle, deputies said.

“He was able to manipulate the gas pumps using a credit card, which would indicate to the fuel system the pump was in use,” deputies said. “However, the transactions were never charged.”

Employees used security videos to identify the accused thief based on the times and dates of the thefts, deputies said.

At 11:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 2, the man returned to the station and employees called deputies, who arrested him on a charge of grand theft, authorities said.

An investigation into the thefts continues, deputies said.

This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 3:45 PM with the headline "19-year-old steals $42,000 in fuel in twice-weekly trips to station, California cops say."