Captain James Sarnicki said an officer saw Wilson Rolando Villa-Tenemaza filling a container in his van behind Bella Gina's Italian Deli and Catering early Tuesday morning.
LINDEN -- A Newark man was arrested early Tuesday morning when an officer caught him trying to steal cooking oil from a restaurant, police said.
Newark resident Wilson Rolando Villa-Tenemaza is charged with attempting to steal used cooking oil from a Linden deli, police said.Capt. James Sarnicki said the officer saw Wilson Rolando Villa-Tenemaza, 33, sitting in a white van behind Bella Gina's Italian Deli and Catering around 1 a.m.
When he approached the vehicle, the officer then noticed a half-full tank of liquid in the back, Sarnicki said. He said another man at the back of the deli saw the officer and ran.
Sarnicki said the officer found a pair of orange work gloves, a hose, and a pump connected to a used cooking oil container in the back of the van.
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Villa-Tenemaza was charged with attempted theft and is being held pending the setting of bail, according to Sarnicki. He said Villa-Tenemaza has a court date set for next week.
The Ford van was seized as evidence, and officers were unable to find an accomplice when they searched the surrounding area, Sarnicki said.
Other North Jersey residents have previously been arrested for stealing cooking oil, according to police.
In January 2014, three Newark men were arrested in Linden when they were caught with 100 gallons of oil from Dragonfly Restaurant, police said.
The following October, Bridgewater police charged two Paterson men with stealing 200 gallons from Buffalo Wild Wings on Route 22, according to an affidavit filed in Somerset County Superior Court.
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