Talk about a precious commodity.
With gas prices hovering at record highs, one local elected official is hoping the law soon reflects—and protects—drivers’ expensive reality.
Assemblymember William Colton, whose district covers parts of southern Brooklyn, is drafting legislation that would stiffen the penalty for gas theft from a misdemeanor to a class E felony.
If enacted, the bill means siphoning off gas could land a person in jail for up to four years.
“The scope of this crime can have such a devastating widespread impact when you account for the cost of gas stolen, damage done to the property, the possibility of paying for a tow truck, the delay experienced during the inconvenience, and the threat posed to the greater public,” Colton said last week.
The current law treats gas siphoning as a petit larceny, which amounts to a misdemeanor.
As gas prices continue to climb, Colton said so too does the threat of having gas siphoned from one’s car.
“Having a tank full of expensive gas stolen during this difficult economic period would be devastating for the victim and pose serious and public safety concerns,” Colton said.
In recent published reports, there were incidents cited that included a woman from Staten Island who had gas stolen from her 2003 BMW, the lawmaker said. Another incident included an East Hampton man having over $300 worth of gas stolen from his boat.
Colton said he believes these crimes are “indicators of a greater pattern still unfolding.”
When the Assembly reconvenes this September, Colton said he plans to aggressively push his bill through the Assembly. Before becoming law, the bill requires passage from both the Assembly and the State Senate, along with the governor’s signature.
Gas theft was also prevalent in the 1970’s during the oil embargo placed on the United States by Arabic countries that exported petroleum. “Although there are no embargoes today, the results are the same in the form of skyrocketing gas prices and the rising threat of gas theft,” the lawmaker said.
Colton’s legislation would also apply to gas stolen from boats, jet skis, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-road vehicles, or any other fuel operated motor vehicles.
“We need to send a very clear and unequivocal message to those persons plotting or even thinking about robbing someone else’s fuel that their intentions will be met with the full wrath of the law,” Colton added.
