Thieves drill holes in Denver man’s tank to steal his fuel

DENVER (KDVR) — Gas tanks are being targeted for fuel, leaving victims on empty.

A Denver man is now warning drivers after he said someone drilled into his truck’s gas tank and took every drop of fuel. FOX31 spoke to him exclusively on Friday afternoon.

A dried puddle of gas is a reminder of what a crook did to Robert Morris’ truck in the early morning of April 22.

“Life is a hustle,” Morris said. “It seems to me people care less about what happens to people’s stuff.”

Morris said his Ford F-150 was parked in front of his home in the historic Montclair neighborhood in Denver.

“Quick and easy. I don’t have street lights either, so you know, really can’t see anything. It’s mainly an older part of town. It’s pretty quiet at that time,” Morris said.

When he went outside the next morning for work, he quickly learned something was wrong.

“There was some kind of liquid underneath my car, in kind of a weirder spot than normal. I went to take a look, and somebody drilled a couple of quarter-inch holes into my gas tank,” Morris said. “I didn’t really smell it at first. My neighbors smelled a little something … and then one of my neighbors across the street told me they thought I was working on my car because he saw some type of pan under it early in the morning around 5 a.m. They spilled it all over the place.”

Morris’ truck was out of service for a week.

“I had to take some time off to just figure out what I needed to do for it,” he said. “I used a product that’s able to seal gas tanks. So I just did it myself, and so far, it’s been holding up pretty good.”

The problem not only took a stab at his gas tank but his wallet too.

“$20 fix compared to a $300 to $400 fix,” Morris said.

50 Denver cases of fuel theft reported so far in 2024

After he posted his story to the NextDoor app, he learned he was not alone.

The Denver Police Department told FOX31 there have been 50 cases involving gas taken from vehicles in 2024 so far.

“It’s super frustrating. Really, you can’t do much,” Morris said. “I’m going to stick up a couple cameras myself to see if I can catch somebody doing it.”

Police say the best advice to prevent this is to secure your vehicle inside a garage. Otherwise, keep an eye out for suspicious activities. If you see something, say something.

Anyone with information about any of the cases is urged to call the Denver Police Department at 720-913-6161 or call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.