Police: Thieves siphon used cooking oil from restaurant in minutes
By Beccah Hendrickson
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UPPER DARBY, PA (WPVI) — Police in Delaware County are investigating a theft involving used cooking oil, where surveillance footage captured two suspects siphoning oil from outdoor tanks.
The theft occurred around 7 a.m. Saturday at Wilson’s Secret Sauce on East Township Line Road.
Surveillance video shows two individuals using a rented Home Depot truck to back up to the oil tanks, remove a hose, and siphon out the contents. The entire operation lasted less than four minutes.
Steve Wilson, the restaurant’s owner, said he was inside at the time and discovered the theft the next day.
“I came in, and I noticed the oily footprints all over my driveway, which I keep pretty clean, and I looked over, and I saw the lock was missing, so I knew someone hit the oil tank,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the tank had a standard padlock and estimated the loss at a couple of hundred dollars. He collects used cooking oil to sell to biofuel companies, earning about 29 cents per gallon.
“What seems like waste to us is treasure to someone else,” Wilson said.
Other businesses say they’ve had similar incidents. RSL TOO, located on West Chester Pike, said someone broke their glass door in August and stole used oil.
“There’s profit in it,” said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt. “You can take it to a recyclable or someone that’s willing to take it for you. They’ll give you a little bit of money on the dollar.”
Police say they are pursuing a strong lead in the investigation.
“I would say the eye in the sky. You can’t hide,” Bernhardt said. “So, here’s two guys who thought they were being clever, thought they were being slick. I don’t know that the Home Depot truck was anything but slick. Thankful for the videos and the camera, we’re going to be able to identify them and we’re going to be able to charge them.”
Wilson said the suspects likely pumped out around 100 gallons before leaving.
“Just pump it out, steal 100 gallons, and move on with their day,” he said.
He hopes the suspects are caught and emphasized that these crimes, while seemingly small, can accumulate.
“Kohl’s loses a shirt, Giant loses a steak, it’s not a lot, but it all adds up at the end of the day, the end of the week, the end of the month,” Wilson said.
Police are encouraging other victims to come forward to help determine how widespread the thefts are and whether the same suspects are responsible for multiple incidents.
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