Police are searching for the drivers responsible for illegally dumping hundreds of tires in a Philadelphia park. Rangers discovered a U-Haul truck that was abandoned in Fairmount Park, which occupies over 2,000 acres along the banks of the Schuylkill River, after it got stuck in the mud. The city intends to fine those responsible for the illegal dump $5,000 per tire, which amounts to roughly $4 million in fines.
Unknown drivers abandoned U-Haul full of tires after it got stuck in the mud
On the evening of August 23, park rangers found a U-Haul truck stranded near Centennial Arboretum near Belmont Avenue with piles of tires left beside it, in reports by Fox 29 and 6 ABC.
They found the vehicle empty, but there was a pile of 300 tires behind it on the ground and another pile of 500 tires discarded roughly 500 yards away. Officials report that the U-Haul was stolen, though it’s unknown when.
Daniel Lidon, an illegal dumping ambassador for the city, expressed frustration that the park has been turned into a dumping ground. “I would say once a week, maybe every two weeks, there’s some large pile that’s out here,” he said. “Really, we’re looking for these huge piles that contractors or private citizens might leave here.”
Lidon says that the perpetrators may be connected to a similar cleanup incident at Belmont Plateau, but that the dumping of 800 tires marks a significant escalation.
Susan Slawson, Parks and Recreation Commissioner, hopes that investigators will be able to uncover evidence that will led to the identities of the perpetrators. “Our park ambassadors will collect evidence,” she said. “Sometimes we have camera footage to support that evidence.”
The city is working with the Streets and Sanitation Department to install lights and surveillance cameras in problem areas, but they have yet to cover this specific location in Fairmount Park. Slawson says that anti-dumping initiatives have reduced incidents like this from 45 at this time in 2025 to 31 this year.
An investigation has been launched by the Philadelphia Police Department’s Major Crimes and Neighborhood Nuisance Task Force to uncover the truck’s owner and driver.
