A vigilant Aussie has revealed the moment he caught an alleged would-be fuel thief in the act – and chasing them off barefoot.
James Longstaff, from the Gold Coast, was in the middle of an early hours video editing session when he glanced up at his CCTV footage and was alarmed by what he saw.
On closer inspection, he realised he was catching somebody attempting to siphon fuel from a truck outside his Molendinar business.
Undeterred, the 23-year-old dashed outside, barefoot and with his phone in his hand, to confront the crook.
Footage posted on his Instagram page then captures him approaching the vehicle, with the alleged thief making a swift exit in their ute.
In the video, which has since been viewed thousands of times, he is heard to say: “Oh bro it’s flaming happening.”
He then yells to the ute driver: “What are you doing mate, what are you doing?”
As the vehicle speeds away, it leaves a pump hanging in the road, dripping diesel.
Mr Longstaff is then heard to yell: “You’re dropping all my flaming diesel, what are you doing bro?”
He then jokes: “I’ve got myself a flaming free pump. Let’s flaming go”, before describing his adversary as “a flaming flog”.
The incident happened at about 1.30am on Wednesday morning.
Speaking to 7News later that day, Mr Longstaff said: “It was just a one-second response really. I was like ‘screw this guy’.”
He said the mystery assailant then returned just moments later, before fleeing once more when Mr Longstaff came running back out.
He added: “I think it is unfortunate, the fuel crisis. I think it is unfair people are doing this kind of thing.”
Mr Longstaff said he had uploaded the video in hopes it would help police trace the suspect.
