A San Jose community is uneasy after their mailboxes were stolen on Tuesday.
Video footage showed a person walking in the area around 4 p.m. before sounds were heard of someone unbolting the boxes in the Communication Hill community. A truck then came by, and two people loaded the mailboxes onto the truck.
It all happened within a few minutes.
"My son came to get the mail and said the box is no longer there," said Monica Finney.
Finney, who's lived in the area for a few years, said she has never seen anything like this happen.
Postal Inspector Jeff Fitch said reporting these types of crimes is critical because the individuals responsible have typically committed similar acts in other neighborhoods.
"These are federal crimes, the stealing of the box, the stealing of the mail, a potential penalty of up to 5 years in federal prison," he said.
Local
A similar incident happened roughly 10 minutes away at a San Jose apartment complex.
Jennifer Jones said her mail was stolen before.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. >Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
"A year ago, you came across, and the old mailboxes were completely ripped open," Jones said.
At the time, Jones said, she had a legal document in the mailbox before they were replaced.
But a few weeks ago, Jones noticed the new boxes "were rigged open and just left open; they weren't secure."
Now, Jones said she is trying to get mail delivered to a P.O. box instead.
Fitch said to notify the postal service immediately if important mail is stolen, like a credit card that is being used.
"That'll help us potentially identify who these individuals are," he said.
