By William Kenny
A Mayfair motorist learned the hard way on March 5 that you should never leave your parked car running, even if it’s connected to a gas pump and you’re standing right next to it.
At about 10:30 a.m., a couple of unidentified thieves brazenly swiped the 2012 Land Rover from the Sunoco at Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue. The crooks sped away with the gas nozzle and hose dangling from the vehicle’s fueling receptacle, leaving the 35-year-old victim standing by helplessly.
Surveillance video showed the whole episode in which a white four-door car pulled alongside the Land Rover and a man exited from the front passenger door. The suspect marched directly toward the victim’s vehicle, hopped into the driver’s seat, shifted into gear and floored it. The white sedan followed the Land Rover as they fled eastbound on Cottman Avenue.
Police recovered the unattended Land Rover one day later on the 7900 block of Fairfield St. The thieves remain at large. Visit the Philadelphia Police channel on YouTube.com to view surveillance video. Call 215–686-TIPS or text to PPD TIP to report information. ••
