MIAMI (WSVN) - A man accused of improperly transporting hundreds of gallons of gasoline stood before a judge, Wednesday morning.
Osvaldo Paleaz, 34, faces several charges including transportation of hazardous waste, possession of a vehicle with an illegal tank and credit card fraud.
The judge ordered Palaez released on one count, but he will have to put up bond for two of the three charges he faces.
“Judge, there is no risk of flight,” said Palaez’s attorney Arnold Trevilla.
According to officials, Palaez pulled up to a Shell Gas Station at Northwest 20th Street and 17th Avenue, Tuesday afternoon, where a gas station employee called 911 because he noticed that gas was leaking but didn’t know from where.
“It’s basically a rolling bomb,” said Miami Fire Rescue spokesperson Ignatius Carroll. “Luckily for the employees here that noticed something wrong.”
They said the Paleaz was acting suspicious, so they asked him to open his truck, where they found the tank
Crews were called in to drain nearly 150 gallons of gas from the tank in the back of the van.
Police said Palaez used a counterfeit credit card to fill up at the gas station, which he tried to get rid of when first responders arrived.
Investigators said the van was a danger to everyone around it.
“Had his vehicle gotten into an accident, with that amount of gasoline inside of it and some kind of ignition source, we could have had a huge explosion here and a lot of lives lost,” said Carroll.
Palaez was out on bond for grand theft when he was arrested, and now has another legal battle ahead of him.
“We’re going to fight the charges, and we’ll see how the case ends up,” said Trevilla.
Police said when Palaez tried to get rid of the credit card, he also tried to get rid of 45 gift cards by throwing them in the bushes.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.