U.S. postal inspectors are sharing information regarding a robbery in Contra Costa County. It’s a disturbing trend seen not only across the country, but also across the Bay Area.
Officials shared pictures of the getaway car used by a suspect accused of robbing a mail carrier in Antioch on May 4.
He allegedly stole postmaster keys, which can be used to open mailboxes.
Octavio lives in the area and shared surveillance video of the suspect hopping into the getaway car moments after the robbery.
“It’s crazy to me,” he said. “Never thought a mail carrier would get robbed or something like that.”
Thankfully the mail carrier wasn’t injured. And now the U.S. postal inspector is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
“The carrier is not going to fight for the keys,” said Matthew Norfleet, postal inspector. “The carrier turned over the postal keys, and immediately informed the post office and law enforcement and that brought us here today.”
Local
Norfleet said Antioch is a part of a larger uptick in these robberies across the Bay Area.
Another $50,000 reward was recently announced for San Francisco where a mail carrier was robbed on Folsom Street back in March.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Norfleet said there are dozens of open investigations into mail carrier robberies across the entire Bay Area and added that it’s not the only region dealing with the issue.
“That’s what I’m hearing across the country,” he said. “These robberies of carriers are essentially a new thing. They’re happening all over the place.”
Norfleet said the penalty for robbing a postal worker is up to 25 years in prison.
He cautions people not to approach mail thieves, but instead call 911.
“Mail thieves are criminals, they are dangerous every time we catch up with a mail thief, they are armed so please do not try to intervene in one of these crimes,” said Norfleet.
It’s something Antioch residents are taking to heart since they never thought it could happen in their neighborhood.
“It's scary, we really have to watch our backs, it happened to him, it could happen to us here in our driveway with our garage open,” said Lesley.
