Utica Crime Briefs: Gas and Run; Woman Finds Thief Inside Vehicle

Utica Police Investigate Gas and Run

A man drove off from the Shamrock Gas Station on Hall Road Sunday after filling up his gas tank.

According to a report, police said the man, who was described as white and in his 30s, and another white male who was sitting in the passenger seat, pulled up to pump No. 3 Sunday afternoon.

The driver put $125 worth of gas into his vehicle and then pulled out onto Hall Road.

Police said the man was driving a brown Ford F-150 or F-250, but they are reviewing video surveillance to get the correct license plate number.

Items Stolen from Running Vehicle

Police are warning residents to avoid making the mistake of leaving their vehicle running and unattended while the car cools off.

Last Wednesday, a 19-year-old woman told police she turned on her vehicle around 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Savory Grill on Van Dyke Avenue and then went back into the restaurant. When she came out a few moments later, she saw a man described as white and in his late 30s, rummaging through her Saturn.

When she shouted to the man, he ran to a red Chevy Silverado and drove away.

The woman discovered several pairs of sunglasses and an iPod charger had been stolen from her vehicle, according to a report.

Police said they normally see those kinds of crimes in the winter when people turn on their cars to let the heat run and then go back inside.