As we come out of the weird and unnecessary “fuel shortage” after the Capitol Pipeline was hacked, the stories of foolish gas hoarding are starting to surface all over the internet.

Clearly, something as volatile and explosive as gasoline needs to be handled and stored with extreme care. However, one fuel-hoarding woman led the police on a wild chase until she crashed the stolen Pontiac she was driving, and it exploded. 

Gas-hoarding woman stole a car and blew it up

Just last week, we saw a Hummer H2 explode in Florida because the woman driving it was hoarding fuel to the tune of 20 gallons in the trunk. Now we are here again but even more dramatic. 

According to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office press release, on May 13th, officers pursued a 2007 Pontiac G6 that had recently been reported stolen. When the officer flipped the light and hit the siren, the Pontiac took off and made it clear it had no intention of stopping. 

According to the officer, before he had time to radio the station, the Pontiac driver lost control of the car and ran off the road and flipped. The officer said, “The vehicle immediately caught fire, and multiple explosions were heard inside the vehicle.”

Once the officer approached the crash site, he observed the driver, 28-year-old Jessica Patterson, exit the car and, in his words, “was observed to be on fire.” The officer quickly pushed Patterson to the ground and rolled over to attempt to put the fire out. Patterson was transported to a local hospital shortly after. 

What was the cause of the explosion? 

Before leaving the crash site, Patterson told the local authorities that she was transporting multiple fuel containers full of gas that she was hoarding in the trunk from fear of the “shortage.” Of course, when the car rolled over, the fuel splashed around the cabin of the Pontiac and became the catalyst for the multiple explosions heard by the officer. 

The woman is clearly lucky to be alive after the insanely risky stunt of running from the police with a trunk full of gasoline. Again, this comes on the heels of multiple warnings urging drivers to please stop hoarding gasoline. 

The perceived “gas shortage” has been drummed up and eventually made a reality by over-reporting on the Capitol Pipeline situation and panicky people who frantically bought more fuel than needed. 

Gas hoarding is a bad idea

This particular situation was a bit more foolish than the “normal” gas shortages we have seen over the years. This one was completely speculative and then exasperated by reporters and customers being afraid. 

Now that the Capitol pipeline is up and running again, the fuel is flowing, and people can stop waiting in lines to stockpile fuel. Transporting fuel and storing fuel is dangerous. Even with the proper equipment, as we have seen, stuff happens. 

Also, remember, fuel goes bad. So, if you stockpile fuel and don’t use it quickly, it can spoil and, in turn, gunk up your engine, making the fuel supply issues a moot point.