'Terminated Employee' May Have Stolen Gas Cylinders From Hospital: Cops

Good Samaritan Hospital reported 11 cylinders of nitrous oxide--sometimes referred to as “laughing gas” -- stolen from the hospital.

In a delayed theft report, a public safety officer told Downers Grove police that sometime around 10:37 a.m. July 25, a white male was let into the gas room on the second floor where the cylinders were stored.

Police said the man was let into the room and left alone. He then proceeded to roll the cylinders through a door left open for a construction crew, and loaded them the bed of a black Ford F150 pickup truck.

The cylinders went unnoticed until July 30, when an employee noticed them missing during a weekly check of the room.

According to the report, an employee told police he received a call from the suspect who said he was on his way from the gas company to check the cylinders because of a valve recall.

The man showed up wearing jeans and a shirt with the company logo. He told the employee he would be about 30 minutes and that he would let the employee know when he was leaving, police said.

About a half hour later, the employee got a call from the man saying he was finished and had locked up the room. The suspect did not mention anything about taking cylinders.

Police checked with the gas company. A representative did recognize the suspect, but told police he had been recently terminated. The 11 cylinders were valued at $2,024.59.