A thief who stole a semi-trailer from a Sydney dealer overnight led police straight to the abandoned vehicle after severing the truck’s fuel tank and leaking oil for 18km.
The joyrider was caught on CCTV driving the truck through two gates at high speed at a compound in Chipping Norton, in south-west Sydney, early on Friday morning.
Police were quickly able to trace the truck to a site across the city in Macquarie Fields by following its diesel leak.
The truck piled through fences as the thief made his escape from a Sydney repair business
Despite his efforts to hide the green vehicle with a tarpaulin sheet, the thief failed to notice it was too small for the heavy goods vehicle as it was clearly visible in the field.
It was stolen from a truck repair dealer in Chipping Norton at around 12.20am.
Dramatic footage, obtained by Nine News, shows the cab piling through several fences as the thief tries to rush away from the scene.
Police are now trying to track down the suspect, a man who was seen breaking in to the premises in Alfred Road, and are continuing to make inquiries.
Cops were able to track the lorry down after it severed a fuel tank leaving an 18km diesel trail
Officers were able to follow the trail straight to the property where the truck was dumped in the south west suburb
Despite trying to cover the truck, the tarpaulin was clearly too small to hide the large vehicle
Officers say they believe the fuel tank was severed as the truck was stolen.
‘The driver may not have been aware of the spill of the diesel at all,’ acting superintendent Paul Albury said.
‘It was certainly a huge benefit for police.’
Hazmat teams were brought out to clean up the spills along the roads after the incident on Friday morning
Hazard teams were brought in from New South Wales Fire and Rescue to clean up the fuel spills and were working throughout the night to treat the roads.
The truck was filmed speeding through two gates inside the industrial estate and then flew down the road.
Police are hoping they will be able to find the suspect after he broke into the business in Chipping Norton
A spokesman for NSW Police said officers were still looking for the driver.
They have urged witnesses or anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.