Police are Concerned Rising Gas Prices Could Drive Thefts

As gas prices keep climbing, Livingston Police are hoping that the arrest of a man suspected for driving off without paying at the isn’t a sign of the times, according to Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold.

Police arrested Shaton Nelson, 22, of Elizabeth on Monday afternoon on charges that he drove off without paying for gas at two service stations during the month of March, Dippold said.

Nelson was identified after a quick-thinking attendant at on South Livingston Avenue followed the suspect after he left the station on March 14 without paying for $50 worth of fuel. On Northfield Avenue, the attendant observed the suspect pull over to pull off a license plate apparently held on by a magnet. Another license plate underneath revealed Pennsylvania tags, Dippold said.

Livingston police were able to trace the tags to a woman in Pennsylvania and connect the alleged theft to Nelson, who is her boyfriend, Dippold said.

This was the second time that Nelson allegedly hit a Livingston gas station. Three days earlier he is suspected of driving away in the same white Nissan Infiniti from the after not paying $57 for gas, Dippold said. An attendant there was able to get the license plate number, which turned out to be stolen from a Ford Mustang in East Orange.

Using the information provided by the Carnevale attendant, police located and impounded the Infiniti in East Orange. It was towed back to Livingston police and a warrant for Nelson’s arrest was issued.

It wasn’t until Monday though that Nelson was found. He was stopped by NJ State Police on an unrelated motor vehicles violation and arrested on the outstanding warrant, Dippold said.

Nelson was brought to Livingston police headquarters on Monday afternoon. Bail was set at $2,000. He will face charges of two counts of theft of moveable property (the gasoline) and two counts of possession of stolen property (the license plates) in Livingston Municipal Court, Dippold said.

On average, one in every 1,100 fill-ups was a gas theft last year, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.

With gasoline prices soaring, industry experts predict the number of drive-offs will increase. Police are concerned as well. “Hopefully we won’t experience too much of this considering how high gas prices have risen,” Dippold said.