Thieves manipulate pump system to steal more than $30,000 in diesel fuel in Lodi

By Andres Valle

Click here for updates on this story

    LODI, California (KCRA) — A fuel station in Lodi was the victim of a sophisticated diesel theft operation. Surveillance footage revealed how thieves manipulated pumps to steal thousands of gallons of fuel.

Michael Kludt, owner of Kludt Oil, shared details about the heist, which he says cost his business over $30,000.

“They’d pump 32 gallons, but it would only show three-tenths of a gallon,” Kludt said.

Over the course of a week, the perpetrators allegedly stole 6,500 gallons of fuel. Surveillance video shared with KCRA shows that the alleged individuals involved had obscured license plates. The suspects used work trucks and hooded sweatshirts to avoid detection.

“They opened our dispenser, installed a bypass device, and drove off repeatedly,” Kludt said while showing surveillance video and the targeted pumps, which were furthest from security cameras.

The theft came to light when inventory discrepancies raised alarms, and Kludt painstakingly reviewed surveillance footage.

Now faced with significant financial loss, Kludt is unsure how his business will recover from the thousands of dollars lost.

“It hurts because there’s a lot of employees that depend on us. And, you know, it’s something we probably can turn in through insurance, but then that’s going to raise our rates. And it’s already hard enough to get a competitive rate. It’s not a good feeling,” said Kludt.

Lodi police are investigating and pursuing leads regarding the case.

Kludt has filed an insurance claim in an effort to recoup some of the loss.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.