Suspected Septic Truck Driver Arrested for Rishon LeZion Odor

A septic truck driver was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of dumping oil or fuel into the municipal sewage system in Rishon LeZion's Ramat Eliyahu neighborhood, causing a pungent gas-like odor that plagued the city for a day and a half. The driver was filmed arriving at and later leaving a side road in the area. The investigation is ongoing after city officials only identified the source of the smell late Tuesday night. Mayor Raz Kinclich announced the source had been found, describing it as a severe sanitary hazard involving fuel and oil waste dumped into a distant sewage manhole in the city's west. The Rishon LeZion municipality filed a police complaint Wednesday morning based on the suspicion that a person had poured large quantities of oil and fuel into the municipal sewage systems in the Nachlat Yehuda neighborhood. Kinclich stated after touring the city with representatives from the Home Front Command, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the "Meyniv" water corporation that the source was likely located in the western part of the city. Samples were taken by the Home Front Command and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, who are confident this is the cause of the odor. In the coming days, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the municipality will conduct special flushing operations to address the smell, alongside the investigation to determine who dumped the fuel and oil. The search began Tuesday following resident reports to the fire department about a strong gas odor. Firefighters scanned the city but found no hazardous materials, though they did note the unusual smell. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of complaints were received by the municipality. Two residents of Rishon LeZion were taken to Shamir-Assaf Harofeh Medical Center for treatment due to shortness of breath.