Some Things Just Really Make You Shake Your Head
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (126981)
Gainesville, Florida
January 13, 2026 9:24am CST
So I'm at the gas station yesterday gassing up my truck. As I'm standing there at the pump, a car pulls up to opposite side of me. I thought something seemed strange about the sound of the car, but I wasn't really paying attention. But then I look over and realized that the car was a Tesla.
Okay, not a big deal, the driver may have parked at a pump just to run inside and grab a snack, or maybe just clean the windshield with a squeegee, or something like that. But no, this little old lady gets out of the Tesla and proceeds to pump gas into her car!!! She was trying to stick the nozzle into the charging port on her Tesla, and seemed confused as to why it wouldn't insert.
I earnestly went around the gas pump to her side and told her to stop, and then explained that she was in an electric vehicle, and it did not need gas for fuel. She seemed very perplexed, and just stood there confused for a second. Then a lightbulb went on in her head, and she said, "Oh, yes, I did recently buy an electric car. How silly of me!"
Give her advanced age, I'm pretty sure she was having a senior moment, or possible suffering from senility. I can only imagine what might have happened if she had started pumping gas into her electric charging port. Anyway, crisis averted!
Have you ever seen someone do something so blatantly stupid, or wrong, that just made you shake your head and wonder how the human species has ever survived to this point?
14 people like this
14 responses
@Marilynda1225 (87881)
• United States
15h
Wow that sounds like more than a senior moment. Good thing you noticed and stopped her from pumping gas into her electric car. Crisis averted for sure!!
4 people like this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
14h
At first I laughed it off as a senior moment. But this clearly was a bigger deal than a senior moment. She could have seriously damaged her car, herself, or even started a fire at the gas station. I hope she does not forget again in the future.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (87881)
• United States
14h
@moffittjc that is really scary and I only immediately thought about ruining her car but the idea of starting a fire is even much scarier. Sounds like she shouldn't be driving at all.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
14h
@Marilynda1225 That's what worried me too, that she could possibly not only start a fire with her car, but also potentially engulf the entire gas station in flames. That would not have been good at all.
@snowy22315 (201330)
• United States
15h
Yikes, she needs a keeper. All the time, and sometimes it's me.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
14h
I admit that I have many forgetful moments, but what she did was a pretty big deal, and could have (at worst) ruined her Tesla. I hope that she is not alone, and has someone else in her family or a caregiver or someone who can help her out or be with her when she goes places.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
7h
@snowy22315 I always worry about people who live alone, or do not have anyone to help them. Both of my neighbors on either side of me are like that, and I always worry about them. I try to check in on them from time to time to make sure they are okay and don't need help with anything.
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
14h
That's what I was thinking. She was very old, so it could be Alzheimers, senility, dementia or just old age forgetfulness. I just hope she doesn't try to put gas in her car again; I'd hate to know that it short-circuited her electrical system or something.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (81850)
• United States
14h
Poor lady. Someone probably sold her that without explaining things, too.
But then, there are people who think filling up an EV is free. 
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (81850)
• United States
14h
@moffittjc — exactly. I did a calculation with one of the websites designed for such things. To go from my Chuy’s to yours would take $20 more and two more “fill-ups” in an EV than in my regular car!!!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
14h
It does blow my mind that people think filling up an EV is free. Maybe there are some free places to get a charge, but most places nowadays charge money for using their ports. And even if you charge at home, it's still not free; your electric bill will increase.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (165684)
• United States
14h
I have seen something similar here although it was a young lady instead of an older lady... She was driving her dad's vehicle and didn't realize it was electric. A bunch of us at the pumps started laughing after she drove away.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (165684)
• United States
14h
@moffittjc True, but you can laugh about it now.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
7h
@DaddyEvil Yes, I guess I can, but what worries me is that she'll forget and do it again.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
14h
Originally, that's what I thought, that she was driving someone else's car and didn't realize it was electric. But, it appeared that this was her car and she was having a serious senior moment. I would have laughed it off if it wasn't a potential safety issue.
1 person likes this
@LooeyVille (57)
• United States
13h
Oh my word! That could have been disastrous!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
12h
It could have been potentially disastrous, especially since I was right next to her at the pump!
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (167213)
• United States
7h
I have seen too much stupid to even count. I am glad you were in the right place at the right time to avert a disaster.
@AmbiePam (110042)
• United States
13h
You know what’s sad? There have been videos of young people pulling up to gas stations with Teslas trying to figure out where to put the gas. I have to think they borrowed or rented them or something. I mean, that’s so bad!
I’m so glad you pointed out to her what she was doing wrong because in those videos I saw, people were more interested in laughing at them than getting them to stop. You’re a good guy!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
12h
I was thinking the same thing about people not knowing about the Teslas they were driving. They had to be borrowing or renting the vehicle, because there's no way the dealership would let them off the lot without explaining to them how to charge their car.
1 person likes this
@velvet53 (22855)
• Palisade, Colorado
14h
@moffittjc Probaly both. You were here Angel for sure.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
7h
@velvet53 I'm just glad I could help. I hate when I see people that are confused or unsure of what to do in situations.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
14h
I was thinking the same thing. I don't know much about electric vehicles, but I do know that mixing gas and electricity is not a good thing. I wonder if it would have short-circuited her entire electric system, or even started a fire?
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (127894)
• Marion, Ohio
5h
Glad you were there to stop her. That could have been a disaster
@RasmaSandra (92859)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8h
Plenty of times remember my hometown was NYC and some of the things I've seen are really something,
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126981)
• Gainesville, Florida
8h
In a place like New York City, I'm sure there are crazy things to be seen on every street corner and block in the city.
@JudyEv (369078)
• Rockingham, Australia
5h
Oh dear. That's a really bad mistake to be making. It's good you went to help.
@lovebuglena (48534)
• Staten Island, New York
5h
This could’ve turned out really bad if you hadn’t been there.
I remember once my aunt’s nephew put a whole raw chicken in the microwave. He was going to cook it. We caught him before he turned the microwave on.
