Last Wednesday, October 23rd at 6:00pm, a student at Southern Maine community college, drove away from campus only to later discover that her gas cap and a negligible amount of gas were missing.

“I didn’t even realize until we got to the mall”, she said, “the light on the dashboard was flashing and I got out and realized the cap was gone.” The car, a black Mercedes C300 was parked in Lot A, the biggest and most highly trafficked student lot on campus. A warning light on the dash had caused her to get out and check the fuel door leading to the discovery of the theft. The strangest part of the whole situation was that the plastic tether that attached the cap to the car had been severed and the cap was gone. “Not very much gas was taken” she remarked, suggesting an unfinished attempt, or simply a cap thief not looking for fuel. The incident will remain unreported: “I’m just not surprised”, she said resignedly, “you’ve got to expect [these things] when you’re coming to the SMCC parking lot.” “I’ve had friends get half their paint stripped off by other cars, I don’t think anyone reports it.”

The gas thief remains at large. There is no evidence either way to suggest whether or not this is an isolated incident. Until things become more clear, hold on to your gas-caps when parking at SMCC!