Two Suspects Apprehended for Repeated Mail Theft

Two suspects were apprehended last night for their involvement in several recent mail thefts on 2nd Ave and 47th St. 

A few weeks ago, a U.S. Postal mail carrier noticed that the cluster box on the corner of the commercial street was wide open and he immediately notified the owner of Klein’s Naturals, one of the companies listed on the mailbox.  

Lo and behold, the security footage at Klein’s Naturals showed three suspects stealing mail from the cluster box using a master key.  The footage also showed the suspects’ vehicle and license plate. 

In the ensuing weeks, the same suspects were seen coming back for more.

Several checks directed to U.S. Chocolate, another business in the area, were part of the missing items.

The owner of U.S. Chocolate Abraham Rosenberg who is also a Liaison for the 72nd Precinct, together with Klein’s Naturals notified the U.S. Postal Police regarding the incidents.

In addition, they also notified Shomrim whose volunteers quickly got to work. They carefully monitored the security cameras in the area until they spotted the suspects as they returned to commit the same crime.

At that point, Shomrim was able to track them down, leading to their arrest last night.

The suspects are being charged with possession of stolen items in addition to the possession of federal property.

The suspects were part of a Chinese gang working together to collect stolen checks from the mail system.

“It is extremely important for businesses to have a good security camera system in place,” Says Rosenberg after this experience.

Rosenberg also mentioned that the Police Department and the U.S. Postal Police were impressed by the work of Shomrim which largely aided in the arrest of the suspects.

Photo credit: Chaim Solinsky