HOUSTON – The business was targeted twice, and both incidents were caught on camera.
The owners of the Kid and Play Daycare Center said a man was spotted siphoning gas out of their day care vans.
"We really couldn’t tell what he was doing, but we did see the big hose he had and the gas can. When you see it on video and you actually see them see them come on your property and take your things, it’s pretty hurtful," owner Monica Cortez said.
Cortez said the first time it happened was Sunday.
VIDEO: Surveillance video of man siphoning gas from day care van
To their surprise, the same man, wearing the same clothes and in the same vehicle, showed back up early Wednesday morning.
"We’re a small business, so, you know, we don’t have all the money in the world, so that’s pretty sad to take from us," Cortez said.
What makes the matter so frustrating, she said, is the fact the day care relies on the vans daily.
"We go on field trips during the summer. We do swimming lessons. A lot of things are going on," Cortez said.
While the day care has reached out to police, so far nothing has happened.
"They said they can’t do very much about it. I feel like nothing's gonna be done to this man because there’s no cold hard proof," Cortez said.
The day care said they’re not giving up hope that the thief will eventually get caught.
In the meantime, they’ll plan to keep a watchful eye out in case he makes another visit.
"He needs to know that he can’t just take from him what’s not his. We’re a day care he’s taking from ... all the kids, ultimately," Cortez said.