Men accused of trying to steal cooking oil in NJ

[September 22, 2010]  NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (AP) -- Two New York residents are accused of trying to steal used cooking oil from a New Jersey restaurant.

Police said they caught Youngil Kim and Byung Ho Choi sucking 700 gallons of grease from two storage tanks behind a Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurant in North Bergen Monday.

Waste oil can be turned into biodiesel fuel. The restaurant sells its grease to a contractor for a little more than $1 a gallon.

Police said the Queens, N.Y., residents attached a hose to a pump in a canary yellow van. The oil was stored in a plastic bladder.

Detective Lt. Frank Cannella tells The Record newspaper they "weren't sneaky thieves, they were greasy thieves."

It's not clear if they have lawyers.

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Information from: The Record of Bergen County, http://www.northjersey.com/

[Associated Press]

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