CONYNGHAM BOROUGH, LUZERNE COUNTY – Two men were arrested after being caught stealing cooking oil from Tom’s Kitchen, a restaurant in Luzerne County. The incident occurred on the morning of October 23, when Conyngham Borough Police responded to a report of a theft at the restaurant on State Route 93.
According to authorities, the restaurant owner drove into the parking lot around 6:00 a.m. and saw a white van parked near the waste oil holding tank. He observed two men, later identified as Yovanny Paredes Frias, 42, and Williams Francisco Reyes, 46, both of New York, using a pump to extract oil from the tank.
When the owner attempted to confront the suspects, they fled in the van. The owner followed them onto Interstate 81, and police were able to intercept the vehicle and pull it over. Inside the van, officers discovered a gas-powered pump and two plastic pallet tanks, both covered in oil.
Both men have been charged with theft and other related offenses.
