North Carolina authorities are informing the general public of a concerning development involving razor blades on the handles of gas pumps.
Forest City Police Lieutenant Brandon Rothrock said the sharp objects were discovered when the Department of Agriculture was conducting an inspection of the gas pumps.
“[The inspector] made us aware. … He said that he was checking some yesterday and found some in Ellenboro at a Roco Station,” Rothrock said. “So, that led him to check some of our local stations, and he found one at 74 Junction.”
“Once he found several [on Tuesday], he realized it was an issue,” Rothrock also said.
The razors were discovered at several other sites.
In an advisory, the Forest City Police Department said, “[o]fficers with the Forest City Police Department have located multiple instances of razor blades being placed in gas pump handles in Forest City and surrounding areas.”
“We are actively investigating these instances now in cooperation with the state Department of Agriculture and will follow up with more information when available. In the meantime, please be aware of your surroundings while pumping gas and always check before grabbing the gas pump handle. Thank you and stay safe,” it added.
One of the 74 Junction gas station’s customers, Dan O’Bryan, commented on the odd situation.
“This particular gas station, I’m pretty much here every single morning, because I work just two minutes down the road from here,” O’Bryan said.
“I’m not surprised, but that’s definitely good to know. I’ll tell my wife about it,” he noted.
Rothrock implored people to be careful when they go to fuel up in order to make sure that they don’t get hurt.
“If you’re pumping gas, check. Look before you grab. Protect yourself however you need to,” Rothrock noted. “It’s going to take some hours of reviewing video to see if we can come up with a suspect.”
“There is no explanation as to why someone would do this,” he said.
Rothrock also said no one has been hurt by the razors yet, but the amount of time the sharp objects have been on the gas pump handles is not clear. It is also not known who carried out the strange acts.
“With these times — germs and things anyway — maybe wear gloves. Until we can come up with a solid answer,” he said.
“It’s very scary, especially whenever kids pump the gas for their parents,” Brandy Hagan reportedly said while filling up.
The state Department of Agriculture is carrying out an investigation into the events.