Greasy Thefts Continue In Montclair; More Cooking Oil Stolen

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Another cooking oil theft has been reported in Montclair, police said Tuesday.

According to the Montclair Police Department, the following incident took place on Walnut Street on Aug. 19:

“An employee of an oil collection company reported that 175 gallons of used cooking oil had been stolen from a tank. The tank was supposedly full at the time of the theft and was valued at approximately $788.”

It isn’t the first time in recent history that a Montclair business has reported a cooking oil theft. Earlier this month, someone stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of used cooking oil from a restaurant on Valley Road.

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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