Imagine you go grocery shopping.

You park far away from the entrance to not only get a few extra steps in, but also to ensure your vehicle does not get dinged when someone else gets in or out of theirs. 

Once you are finished in the store, you come out to your car. You see a puddle around the area of your gas tank. You smell gasoline. You investigate and discover someone has drilled a hole in your gas tank to steal the gas. 

While not as common in Columbia as many other cities, there have been seven gas tank drilling thefts here since December, said Sgt. Neal Sedgwick, detective with Columbia Police Department's criminal investigations division. 

"(People) noticed their fuel level was low. I think there was one person who tried to drive off and their car sputtered out," he said about reports the department has received. "One of the cases, their car was jacked up and I believe it still was on the jacks."

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A rise in thefts from gas tanks via drilling have been noted in media reports from cities including Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Kansas City. 

"It's an unusual way to steal the gas, in my opinion, to drill the tank, when traditionally you think people siphon gas," Sedgwick said.

Why are people going after gas tanks by drilling instead of siphoning? It comes down to technological and engineering upgrades to vehicles in recent years, says Jim Lardear, AAA director of public and government affairs.

"Newer vehicles have a 'roll-over' valve between the fuel tank and filler neck intended to prevent gas from spilling out, to lessen the chance of a fire, in the event of a rollover. But that same valve also makes siphoning gas much more difficult,” Lardear said in a news release. "So thieves seeking the path of least resistance now access the fuel by drilling directly into the tank.”

What this ultimately means? Victims potentially are out upward of a $1,000 bill depending on what their insurance policy says about fuel tank damage, AAA said. 

"For those who have comprehensive coverage, the damage would qualify as vandalism," said Sonia Medina, spokesperson for AAA Insurance, in the release.

"But, of course, not everyone has comprehensive coverage."

The main complaint associated with the drilling thefts here has been gasoline odor, Sedgwick said.

"Out of the six and if you count the one from December, only one occurred in a parking garage," he said. "The others occurred out in open parking lots."

The thefts have occurred in various areas of the city, but they seem to be centered on the southern end of town, generally near Nifong Boulevard and Green Meadows Road. 

Incidents so far this year were in March (1), May (3) and July (2). There was one theft from a downtown garage, and the December incident was off of College Avenue, Sedgwick said.

Even though fuel prices reached historic highs in June and July in Columbia, according to AAA data, the greatest number of reported incidents occurred prior to that.

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Gas prices nationwide hovered, on average, around $3.20 to $3.40 per gallon in the last quarter of 2021, according to data from U.S. Energy Information Administration. Gas prices began to trend upward on a weekly basis in January, reaching a nationwide average peak of $5.01 per gallon the week of June 13. 

Prices then started to come back down and have continued that downward trend ever since. Thursday's average price for regular unleaded gas in Columbia was $3.68. Nationwide, the average price was $3.94. 

The clusters of incidents are geographically close, which could indicate there may be one person connected to those thefts, Sedgwick said. Investigations are ongoing. 

"Without solid suspect information, it's hard to say at this point," he said. 

As a means of limiting the chances a person could have their tank drilled, Sedgwick recommends parking in high-traffic areas when possible.

Do not park too far away from buildings, and make sure your vehicle is in a well-lit area. 

"Most of these people are looking to (steal gas) where they are not going to be seen," Sedgwick said. "If you park in a garage, try to park near a security camera."

Tips from AAA are much the same:

Tips for victims of gas theft: 

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Please consider subscribing to support vital local journalism.