Three elderly Richmond Hill residents were all victims of an alleged gas siphoner.

On Sept. 13, their respective vehicles, all blue, were reported in a theft by taking incident at Plantation Apartments.

The Richmond Hill Police Department’s Officer Donnie Crosby was dispatched to the apartments after a maintenance crew member made the complaint.

"They noticed two gas caps and a piece of yellow garden house on the curb in front of the apartment. The items led them to believe someone had attempted to siphon gas out of a vehicle," Crosby’s report said.

The maintenance man went and spoke with the tenant, who said the piece of hose had been cut from his garden hose, attached to the front of his apartment.

The tenant also said one of the gas caps belonged to his 1990 blue Buick Century, parked in his assigned spot, the report said.

The maintenance man said he and his co-worker began searching the area to find the other vehicle that was missing its gas cap. During the search, they reportedly found a third gas cap in front of an additional apartment.

That tenant identified the gas cap as hers, from her 1989 blue Chevy S-10 that was parked in her assigned spot. The final one belonged to a 1989 blue Dodge Omni/Expo.

The three victims were all interviewed individually. The first said that, while his garden hose had been damaged, there seemed to be no gas stolen from his Buick.

The second victim said she didn’t see any damage or missing gas, but the third victim reported $10 missing from her tank, the report said.

Crosby said the witnesses didn’t have any information on any possible leads, and the report noted there were no visible footprints in the area. Plantation Apartment employers requested additional patrol in the area at night.

On Thursday, the answering machine at Plantation Apartments said the offices would be closed this week.

Richmond Hill Police Chief Billy Reynolds, said nothing new had happened by Friday.

"It’s definitely not something we see every day around here," Reynolds said of the unusual incident.

According to Stant, the company who invented the locking gas cap in 1932, there are three basic styles, all which open with a quarter-turn of their key. The locking mechanism deters fuel and vandalism, their web site said.

Stant.com offers information on how to match a locking gas cap with a vehicle.