Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Riverside Man Found with 125 Gallons of Gas in His Van

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

()

Begging the question of "how much does gasoline cost in Riverside", a man was discovered carrying 125 gallons of gasoline in his van when witnesses saw vapors rising from his parked love machine.

The fumes were occurring because the gentleman had placed the fuel in bottles like what once contained laundry detergent and other containers not designed to carry gasoline in vans.

"It was just unbelievable," Battalion Chief Jeff Dredla told the Riverside Press Enterprise yesterday about the petroleum baking in the van (not pictured) in the hot Riverside sun.

Support for LAist comes from

Despite the danger and obvious fears of possible terrorism, the owner of the van was not cited by police. Firefighters monitored the man as he transfered the gas to safe containers.

Gas Van Man is probably the only So Cal resident who is cursing the fact that oil prices have been going down lately.

photo entitled "Mystery Machine" by Monochrome via flickr

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist