A suspicious substance poured into the gas tank of a Derby resident’s car was likely an act of targeted vandalism, police said Wednesday.
Derby Police Lt. Salvatore Frosceno said the department is investigating what was in the tank and who might have put it there.
The car owner noticed a green substance on the side of the car near the gas tank early Tuesday and called police, according to Frosceno.
The victim, who was not identified, had the car towed to Auto Repairs Unlimited in Ansonia for evaluation.
When mechanics there disconnected the fuel line to investigate the vandalism, a white smoke appeared and a strong odor filled the air, according to Frank Pelaccia, the owner of Auto Repairs Unlimited.
Knowing there was vandalism involved, the workers evacuated the shop and called police, Pelaccia said.
“It filled the whole shop up with smoke,” Pelaccia said. “That’s why we got a little nervous. We didn’t know if it was an explosive or what to think.”
The Ansonia Fire Department, police department, Ansonia Rescue Medical Services, a city hazmat team and the state Department of Environmental Protection responded to the scene to investigate.
One of the workers noticed a burning on his hand when the liquid touched it, but he was not injured by the substance.
Pelaccia said he asked for ambulance workers to evaluate the worker just in case.
DEP tests showed the substance was some type of acid, but it is still not clear what exactly was in the gas tank.
“We don’t know yet what it was in there,” Frosceno said.
Derby police are investigating because the vandalism happened in that city, Frosceno said.
Pelaccia said repair shops sometimes see vandalism in the form of sugar or turpentine poured in a gas tank. But he’s never experienced a situation where the substance had this kind of reaction.
“Twenty-four years in the business. Never,” Pelaccia said. “We’ve heard and seen different things over the years. But never a reaction like that.”
Frosceno said no other reports of vandalism were reported in the Shagbark Drive neighborhood, where the car was parked.
“It does not appear to a random thing,” Frosceno said. “It appears to be targeted.”
Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to call the Derby Police Department at (203) 735‑7811.
