Fuel Thefts Rise Across Fresno County, Targeting Schools and Businesses

Surveillance video from Diamond Learning Center in Clovis captured the scene: on March 22, a man carried multiple gas cans through a gated parking lot, filled one directly from the organization's van, and walked away. The vehicle he targeted is used daily to transport students with developmental disabilities.

Isaac Jimenez, Diamond Learning Center's senior director of transportation, reviewed the footage and shared it publicly. The theft hit differently knowing who depended on that van. "Gas prices, I guess, are going up, everybody's like, 'Oh, I'm not paying that. It's better for me to just take someone else's gas,'" Jimenez said. "Which is so unfortunate."

Clovis police confirmed it was the second gas theft reported in the city in 2026. It came as the AAA statewide average reached $5.89 per gallon for regular gasoline and $7.52 for diesel as of April 1, creating what law enforcement described as a sharpening financial incentive for thieves across Fresno County and the broader Central Valley.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office noted that large diesel storage tanks drew particular attention from thieves when prices climbed. Scott Cain, president of West Hills Oil, said one of his customers lost an entire truck-and-trailer load of fuel in a single theft, thousands of gallons gone at once. In response, his industry reinforced storage sites with containment walls around tanks, steel cabinets bolted over fittings, hardened perimeter fencing, and anti-siphoning devices fitted directly to tank openings.

For fleet operators and property owners, the Sheriff's Office pointed to a parallel set of steps: park vehicles in well-lit areas or enclosed garages overnight, install security cameras and motion-activated sensors, and fit fuel tanks with locks and anti-siphon devices. Improving site lighting and fencing reduces exposure before a theft occurs.

Both Clovis police and the Sheriff's Office urged residents to report suspicious activity immediately, particularly vehicles idling on private property or individuals carrying multiple fuel containers. For nonprofits like Diamond Learning Center, which depend on their vehicles to deliver essential services to vulnerable populations, a disrupted van route is not a minor inconvenience; it is a gap in care that no insurance reimbursement can fully close.