‘It was like 8 seconds’; Thieves caught targeting cars at the pump
BERKELEY, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Thieves across the St. Louis area are preying at the pump, stealing valuables while victims are filling up their gas tanks.
The latest one happened at the Phillips 66 gas station on Natural Bridge Road on Sunday afternoon, according to Berkeley police.
“It was like right seconds,” said Andreea Dane who fell victim Sunday. “It’s crazy to me. I’m still a little shocked from everything because I didn’t even know.
Dane shared video of the crime from the gas station’s surveillance system. Video shows a masked suspect jump out of a 2013 Mercedes GL5. Berkeley police say the Mercedes was stolen.
Thankfully, Dane had her wallet, keys, and phone with her, but after getting back in her truck and calling her fiancé, she realized something was gone.
”I was like ‘I think I just got my purse stolen.’ He was like ‘you serious?’ and I was like ‘I’m pretty sure.”
When watching the video, it seems the thieves may have been eyeing Dane, because as she walks from inside the convenience store, the Mercedes moves in.
While Dane is on the driver’s side, she has no clue a thief slipped in and out of her truck.
“If it were a couple of seconds earlier and locked eyes with that… I don’t know,” said Dane. “Women being alone too, I think that’s what they were looking for. It causes anxiety for everybody. In this day and age, we shouldn’t have to worry about constantly being on alert.”
Berkeley police tell First Alert 4 that officers are investigating this case and another one that happened Saturday at a gas station on North Hanley.
Investigators say it was the same suspect vehicle, a stolen 2013 Mercedes GL5. Back in April, First Alert 4 reported car clouting cases in Florissant at a QuikTrip on Howdershell. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) says it’s taken nearly two dozen reports of these crimes at gas stations across city, but generally see more of them in South City.
SLMPD says the thieves don’t just steal items inside, they sometimes steal whole vehicles. Now Dane says she’s going to lock her doors when getting gas.
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