Fort Myers Police on the hunt for man accused of stealing nearly $2K worth of diesel fuel from gas station

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Fort Myers detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify a man who allegedly stole nearly $2,000 worth of diesel fuel from a 7-Eleven gas station in Fort Myers last Tuesday.

On Feb. 6, the man pictured below reportedly drove off from the 7-Eleven at 11501 SR-82 with 446 gallons of diesel fuel.

Todd Mills, of Clewiston, believes a big truck is the only way he could have gotten away with this.

However, surveillance footage shows that the alleged thief was driving an old green minivan. The Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) described the van as having a spare tire on the roof, gray tape on the rear passenger side window, and stickers on the back windshield.

The Fort Myers Police Department described the van as having a spare tire on the roof, gray tape on the rear passenger side window, and stickers on the back windshield.

FMPD said the suspect parked that minivan over one of the underground tanks for around 23 minutes before leaving with the hefty load.

“Wow, it’s like riding along with a bomb in the back of his car,” Mills said.

Fort Myers resident Eddie Robinson said it typically takes him around 40 minutes to fill up his truck and equipment with 35-40 gallons of regular fuel. He was shocked to hear that this thief somehow managed to guzzle nearly 500 gallons in under half an hour.

“Well, he’s got duct tape. He’s got dark tints on it. He might have had a big jug or cooler in there,” Robinson said. “But 500 gallons of diesel, Lord!”

Fuel suppliers said that this is a very difficult feat to pull off. To access the fuel underground, he would have had to clamp open the mound. Then, to get the fuel out, he most likely needed a device with high suction power to lock down on the nozzle. They suspect that the thief may have worked in the fuel industry at some point.

“I’m just trying to figure out where the 500 gallons of gas went,” Robinson said.

Meanwhile, detectives are trying to figure out who the suspect is and where he went.

If this man or his van looks familiar to anyone, contact FMPD or submit an anonymous tip to Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers to be eligible for a cash reward.