A gasoline thief desperate for the high-priced fuel took the dangerous step of drilling a car’s tank in Allentown, police said.

City police said they received the report last week of a woman on North Fifth Street discovering gas leaking under her car and a hole drilled into the gas tank.

Home surveillance video obtained by WFMZ shows a man in a green hoodie holding a cordless drill as he walks around the parked cars.

The woman told WFMZ she drove the car before the hole was discovered.

As gas prices surged over $4 a gallon and stayed there over the past few weeks, similarly dangerous thefts were reported in Atlanta, Kansas City and San Diego.

On Tuesday, AAA reported the national average price for a gallon of gas was $4.316. Prices for a gallon in Allentown ranged from $4.25 to $4.49, according to GasBuddy.com.

Gas siphoning with a hose or tube was a huge issue in the U.S. during the fuel crisis in the 1970s.

But new cars have an anti-rollover valve between the fuel tank and filler neck, which makes siphoning gas difficult, according to AAA.

Allentown police searching for person who siphoned gas from woman's car @RobManch reports. https://t.co/E7TIkX7xcG

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.

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