Missing Tanker Truck Has Authorities Scrambling

PENNSAUKEN, N.J. (April 20) - A gasoline tanker truck has been missing from a Pennsauken parking lot for more than a week, sending local officials and the FBI scrambling.

The New Jersey Office of Counterterrorism has asked all the state's law enforcement agencies to look for the truck.

"We don't know what the motive was behind the theft," FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi said. "It could have been stolen by another individual in the fuel-hauling business. But we feel it's important to find it, find out who took it, and find out why it was taken."

A tanker truck was blown up by terrorists in a May 2002 attack in Tel Aviv. No one was injured then, but incidents like that one are what make law enforcement officials nervous about this truck.

The recently refurbished 1996 Fruehauf tanker, with "TK Transport" in large green letters on its side and the New Jersey license plate number T852SC, was last seen April 8, said Pennsauken Police Capt. Earl Griffin.

But Griffin said it was a few days before workers at the TK Transport Terminal noticed it was gone.

Griffin said he's been in touch with TK Transport to try to make sure the truck is missing because it was stolen and not simply because of a communication foul-up.

Griffin said the truck did not have any liquid in its chrome-plated tank.

04/20/04 16:49 EDT