The price of gas continues to soar throughout North America and the boys and girls club in Riverview, N.B., is really feeling the pain. One of their three vans was vandalized earlier this week when thieves siphoned gas but left behind the hose. BGC Riverview executive director Lynda Carey said staff noticed the tank was on empty Thursday morning so they went to the nearest gas station for a fill-up. “They got about $6 worth of gas in it before they saw that the gas was pouring out underneath the vehicle on the ground,” said Carey. When staff returned to the club, they discovered the gas line had been cut and a full tank worth close to $250 was gone. “It’s going to be an unbudgeted expense. We’re going to have to take the money from somewhere and most likely it’s going to be from programming and things we do for the kids,” said Carey. It’s not the first time vandals have hit the club’s vehicles. In February 2024, all three of their vehicles that are used to pick up children after school were broken into over a weekend. A 12-person van was heavily damaged and needed to be towed to MacDonald Buick GMC for service. Carey said every day is a gamble when they leave their vehicles outside. “It’s so frustrating because there’s nothing we can do to counter-act or prevent it from happening. We don’t have a garage, we don’t have any type of storage facility where we can lock the vehicles up at the end of the day,” said Carey. “You want to believe that when you park your vehicles in your space that they can be protected for the time that they’re going to be there. We don’t have that feeling. We haven’t had that feeling for quite some time.” MacDonald Buick GMC service advisor Christian Johnston said repairs to the van were done by noon on Friday. Johnston said the extent of the damage was not terrible. A pipe was cut and someone ran a garden hose down inside to suck out the gas. It was the second time that day the same job had to be done. “When we were purchasing the reinforced pipe, another customer was here for the exact same vehicle, so it looks like they targeted these vehicles. It must be easier to get to the pipe,” said Johnston. “So, there’s at least one other person that got robbed.” The dealership is a strong supporter of the non-profit group and have decided to pick up the tab. Johnston believes the bill would have been somewhere between $500 and $1,000 “We really love what the boys and girls club do,” said Johnston. “We always give them preferential pricing and try to take care of them because their mission is so important.” Carey said they are very grateful to the team at MacDonald Buick GMC for their continued support of their club and the kids. “They are very community minded and have been a great partner for many years,” she said. The RCMP is investigating the vandalism and theft of gas, but Carey’s not optimistic someone will be caught. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
