Hamden Gas Station Robbed Of Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Fuel

Written and reported by Hector Molina, WFSB 3

HAMDEN, CT — A Hamden gas station owner says a skilled group of thieves has stolen thousands of dollars worth of fuel from his business.

The owner says stealing gas straight from the pump is something only a select few people know how to do.

This recent incident took place last week.

“It’s sad to say that somebody can come in the middle of the night and take the gas out of the pumps and not pay for it,” Kevin Curry said.

Curry, owner of Teddy’s Stores, the company that owns the gas station Sunoco on Dixwell Avenue, says a pickup truck drove through in an attempt to fill tanks with gasoline.

Curry says whoever did this used a special code that put the pump on a continuous flow.

“I’ve been in this business my whole life and I don’t even know how to do it,” Curry said.

Curry says the incident took place last week and two other gas stations in Fairfield County reported similar incidents.

Thankfully, no gas was taken, but Curry says the same thing happened about a year ago, and about 1,000 gallons were stolen resulting in a near $5,000 loss.

“You can’t afford a hit like this, you can’t put it through insurance because you would eventually lose your insurance,” Curry said.

Michael J. Fox, President of the Gasoline and Automotive Service Dealers of America says this type of crime happens more often than you think.

“According to FBI statistics as of December 2023, about a billion dollars has been stolen from financial institutions, consumers, and gasoline retailers,” Fox said.

Curry says if these crimes continue, it’ll eventually impact how much you pay for gas.

“We can’t continue to eat it. Luckily, this cost us a service call, it didn’t cost over $4,000 like last time,” Curry said.

(Editor's Note: This story first appeared on WFSB 3 TV and is reposted on Patch.com with permission. View more news stories at WFSB 3 TV here.)