Ramapo Police arrested three men who tried to evade capture on foot after initially being pulled over on Route 59 Thursday.
A Ramapo Dog Control Officer observed a van driving erratically on Route 59. Ramapo Police stopped the van, but the driver pulled away and drove behind a nearby business. The three men inside abandoned the vehicle and ran.
One Ramapo Police officer took two of the men into custody on the New York State Thruway. A second officer chased down the third suspect on foot.
Police found a pump system and holding tanks which contained hundreds of gallons of used cooking oil in the van. Police discovered cooking oil had been stolen from a business where the van was first observed.
Cooking oil is commonly reused as biodiesel fuel. The estimated value of the stolen oil is $450.
Victor Delacruse, 24, of Yonkers; Angel Castillo, 32, of Yonkers and Edward Negrin, 33, of Brooklyn were all charged with possession of stolen property, a misdemeanor. Castillo and Delacruse also face a charge of discorderly conduct. Negrin was charged with unlawful possession of Marijuana.
Police are currently investigating similar larcenies in Rockland County. The Suffern Police Department and Rockland Coutny Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigations Unit assisted Ramapo Police in the incident.
