New York Gas Thief Uses Ill-Advised Illumination

While illegally siphoning gas, the thief used a lighter to help guide him in the dark.

THURMAN, N.Y. (AP) -- A tip for would-be gasoline thieves. When stealing gas in the dark, don't use a lighter to see how you're doing. Police in Warren County say that's what Glen Germain Junior did when he was siphoning gas from a dump truck at a business in the Adirondacks last month.

The sheriff's department says Germain was transferring the fuel from the truck to a gas can when he used a lighter to see how full the container had become.

That sparked a fire that caused minor burns to his face and hands. The fire spread to a nearby forklift, which was destroyed in the blaze.

Germain has been charged with petit larceny and criminal mischief.

arrest was Germain's second in a month for stealing gasoline from businesses in the town of Thurman, about 65 miles north of Albany.

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