Cooking Oil Swiped From Montclair Restaurant: Police

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Someone stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of used cooking oil from a restaurant on Valley Road in Montclair last week, police said Tuesday.

The Montclair Police Department released the following statement about the theft, which took place on Aug. 9:

“The complainant reported that at least one hundred gallons of used cooking oil had been removed from a sealed drum behind Montclair Charbroil. The estimated value of the oil was $450.”

It isn’t the first time in recent history that a Montclair business has reported a cooking oil theft.

In February, an employee of Pappardelle Restaurant reported that a metal tie lock from two drums used to collect used cooking oil had been cut. Both tanks were empty upon discovery of the damage, authorities said.

In January, an employee of Napoli Trattoria and Pizzeria reported surveillance cameras to the business captured a blue van pull up to the rear of the business during off hours and cut the lock off of the used cooking oil drum. The suspects then used a hose to extract the oil from the drum, police said.

In March 2021, management at Panzano Pizzeria reported a theft of cooking oil from their exterior oil containers, police said.

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