Two New York City men suspected of stealing cooking oil from various locations on Long Island were “caught in the act” and arrested on larceny charges in Wading River early this morning, Riverhead Police said in a press release.
Police said they were contacted at about 3 a.m. today by a private investigator hired to follow suspects in cooking oil thefts on Long Island.
The private investigator told police he observed two men stealing oil from three restaurants in Wading River: North Tavern on North Country Road, Phil’s Restaurant on Wading River Manor Road and Senor Taco on Route 25A.
Riverhead Police responded in coordination with the investigator and the suspects were “caught in the act,” police said in the press release. The report did not say where the suspects were caught or apprehended.
A total of over $700 worth of cooking oil was stolen from the three locations, police said.
Police identified the suspects as Justin Banks, 24, of Flushing, Queens and Carlos Mora, 62, of Brooklyn.
Both men were arrested and charged with three counts of Petit Larceny, according to the report. They were transported to Riverhead Police Department for processing and released on a desk appearance ticket.
Used cooking oil can be repurposed as biofuel. The oil, which restaurants used to have to pay to dispose, can now be sold to processors that convert it into biodiesel. A black market has developed for stolen used cooking oil and thefts of the oil have been on the rise.
Riverhead Police have reported five cooking oil thefts over the last three months. Three of those five thefts have been reported at Moe’s Southwest Grill on Route 58. The fourth was reported at Friendly’s on Route 58.
Last month Suffolk County Police reported the arrest of two Farmingville men they said stole used cooking oil from three different restaurants in the Patchogue-Medford area on five occasions. Both were charged with Petit Larceny.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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