Someone left roughly 800 tires in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, but one piece of the operation did not leave with them.
A U-Haul used during the dumping became stuck in the mud near the Centennial Arboretum and was abandoned, according to local officials. The truck had also been reported stolen.
Park rangers found the empty U-Haul with about 300 tires behind it, while another pile of roughly 500 tires was sitting about 500 yards away, 6abc reported.
The tires have since been removed. Police are looking for whoever was behind the wheel and any accomplices.
Left Behind
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Park rangers came across the scene off Belmont Avenue, behind the Ohio House, on Sunday evening, according to 6abc.
The U-Haul was empty by then. About 300 tires had been left immediately behind it, with roughly 500 more in the second pile nearby.
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation told CBS Philadelphia that the truck had been driven from Belmont Avenue onto the grass to dump tires before it became stuck.
Philadelphia police told the station the U-Haul had been reported stolen Sunday.
Exactly when the tires were dumped is less clear. CBS reported that the pile was found around 2 p.m. Monday, while 6abc reported that park rangers encountered the scene Sunday evening.
Either way, the truck remained behind with the tires.
More Than One Pile
Daniel Lidon, an illegal dumping ambassador for Fairmount Park, told CBS Philadelphia that the problem extends beyond the load found with the U-Haul.
“I’m a little frustrated because this has been going on all summer long now,” Lidon said.
He said tires had been dumped twice and material had also been dumped around Belmont Plateau. Lidon believes the incidents may be connected, although police have not publicly established that the same person is responsible.
“This is really our biggest hit yet,” he told the station. “This is a ton of tires.”
Large piles of debris are not particularly unusual in the park. Lidon told 6abc that one turns up about once every week or two.
Philadelphia is already testing a program designed specifically to make that harder.
The Park Ambassadors project is a two-year pilot program funded by the William Penn Foundation with a goal of reducing illegal dumping by 50%.
Illegal Dumping Prevention Coordinator Nathan McWilliams told 6abc that ambassadors collect evidence and sometimes have camera footage available to support it.
Picking Up
Crews were cleaning up the tires Tuesday, and 6abc reported later that the area had been cleared.
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson asked residents to continue reporting illegal dumping through 311.
The potential penalty can be substantial. City officials said illegal dumping can carry fines of up to $5,000 per piece of material.
With the tires gone, police are now trying to identify the driver and anyone else involved in leaving them there.
Anyone with information can contact Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).