Suspected gas thieves suffer major injuries after SUV plunges into Fresno County creek

Coalinga firefighters rescued two suspected gas thieves who were trapped inside an SUV that fell 30 feet down an embankment into a creek early Sunday, according to police.

A 15-year-old boy and an unidentified adult man were allegedly fleeing from a witness who saw them stealing gas in Coalinga.

Police say the two were driving around Jamay Court and San Benito Street around 2 a.m. Sunday.

A witness reported a smell of gas and seeing gas containers near a vehicle. Then the witness saw the two suspects in the process of stealing gas, police said.

The two jumped into a white 2011 Dodge SUV and drove east on Phelps Avenue, while the witness followed them with police on the line.

About a minute before police arrived, the SUV went off the road, through a barbed wire fence and through a field before falling over an embankment into Los Gatos Creek (also known as Arroyo Pasajero Creek).

The creek had one to two feet of slow-moving water with near-freezing temperatures in the lows 30s, according to a Fresno County Fire Protection District Facebook post.

Emergency crews responded from Fresno County Fire, the Coalinga Fire Department and American Ambulance for a rescue.

Crews were able to talk to the driver, who was pinned in but conscious, police said. It took about three hours to free both suspects.

They were both suffering from serious injuries, including hypothermia, the Facebook post read. They were taken to the hospital.

Coalinga police are investigating the gas theft and the California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

Police say there has been a string of gas thefts in Coalinga involving holes being drilled into gas tanks.

This story was originally published February 17, 2019 at 9:40 AM.