On July 21, 2023 at approximately 3:00 a.m., the Riverhead Police Department was contacted by a private investigator hired to follow suspects who have been committing cooking oil thefts from various locations throughout Long Island.
The complainant reported he observed two subjects stealing oil from North Tavern, 2028 North Country Road in Wading River, Phil's Restaurant, 1856 Wading River Manor Road in Wading River, and Senior Taco, 6274 Route 25A in Wading River.
A total of over $700 worth of cooking oil was stolen from all three locations.
Riverhead Police responded and in coordination with the investigator, the subjects were caught in the act. An investigation was conducted and two subjects were identified: Justin Banks, 24 years old, from Flushing, New York and Carlos Mora, 62 years old, from Brooklyn, New York.
Both subjects were arrested and charged of three counts of Petit Larceny each. Both defendants were transported to Riverhead Police Department for processing and released on a desk appearance ticket.