Lansdale Borough Police have launched an investigation into the repeated theft of used cooking oil from a receptacle outside Lansdale Tavern on West Main Street.
In an interview with North Penn Now, tavern owner Julie Palermo said her business has been targeted more than 10 times in recent months, including an incident last week where a pair of suspects wearing ski masks made their way onto her property around 2 a.m. to steal used cooking oil while members of her staff were still inside cleaning.
“It’s very scary, honestly,“ Palermo said.
The holding receptacle belongs to another company, who pays Lansdale Tavern to retrieve the used cooking oil once the receptacle is full. Many of the thefts were captured on the tavern’s exterior surveillance system, and the footage has since been provided to investigators.
Earlier this year, Perkasie Borough Police issued a call for public assistance in identifying the suspects responsible for stealing 120 gallons of used cooking oil from the Washington House Restaurant in Sellersville. An employee from Buffalo Biodiesel arrived to the 100 block of North Main Street to pump the used cooking oil tank on Jan. 21, however the tank was empty despite being reported as full a week earlier.
According to a report by KTLA, Buffalo Biodiesel President Sumit Majumdar said theft of used cooking oil had cost his company millions of dollars.
“It’s ballooning. It’s wiping out a third of our business,” Majumdar said in the November 2022 report by KTLA. “To put that into numbers: $10 million to $15 million a year.”
Majumdar said in the report that thieves will make a lot of money by taking the used oil to a broker, where it will then be sent to a refinery. The National Renderers Association said in an April 2019 report by the Washington Post that the stolen cooking oil can be recycled and sold for components used in perfumes, biofuels and animal feeds.
Palermo said investigators told her they are looking for two male suspects directly involved in the thefts from her business. Additionally, she said she had heard of similar thefts occurring at other bars and restaurants across the area.
North Penn Now has reached out to Lansdale Borough Police Chief Michael Trail for additional information about their investigation, however we have not received a response at the time of publishing. We will provide additional details once they are made available.
See also:
Police Seek ID of Suspect Who Ran Over Person in Shopping Center During Road Rage Incident
Franconia Police Issue Warning After ‘Significant Increase’ in Mail Theft Across the Area
WATCH: Lansdale Police Seek Assistance in Identifying E-Bike Thief
Upper Gwynedd Police Seek ID of Suspect Involved in Pair of Retail Thefts from Weis Market
Police Investigating Theft of Jeep Grand Cherokee from A&T Subaru
