Lincoln Police say since September 12th there have been 14 gas tanks vandalized across the city. Sergeant Chris Vollmer says 13 of the cases have been happened since October 4. He says several of these cases have been people noticing a strong odor of gasoline when they go out to their vehicle or finding out that they are low on gas and having it spill out on the ground when the fill their tanks.
The latest incident happened Tuesday near 24th and Holdrege when a 24-year-old victim found a hole had been drilled into the gas tank. Vollmer says the incidents have happened in areas across the city. “There have been some business parking lots, there have been some apartment complex lots. There have been some parked in driveways and some parked on streets.”
Vollmer says there doesn’t seem to be a specific make or model that’s being targeted other than being large enough for someone to crawl underneath. He says a couple of witnesses have reported seeing someone underneath vehicles with a gas can nearby, but police don’t have a detailed description.
The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Lincoln Police Department at 402-441-6000 or Lincoln Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600. LPD has provided a map of areas where these cases have been reported.