San Diego

US Postal Inspector Investigating Mailbox Thefts in San Diego

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Bankers Hill residents confronted a man who said was rummaging through mailboxes with duffle bags at his side, and now the U.S. Postal Services is trying to track the man down.

A Bankers Hill resident named Chris, who did not want his last name shared, said he caught the man in the act while he was out walking his dog a few weeks ago.

“The first thing I noticed was somebody, an individual, walking down the neighborhood," Chris said. "What stood out is that they were holding a pair of crutches and walking completely normal. So it kind of caught my eye.”

Chris circled the neighborhood and when he came back, the man was still there.

“He was using some sort of little tool to be able to get into the back where only a postal worker would be able to get into," Chris said.

A Bankers Hill resident captured this photo of a man he said was breaking into a community mailbox.
NBC 7
A Bankers Hill resident captured this photo of a man he said was breaking into a community mailbox.

Chris took a photo of the man rummaging through the boxes while wearing a mask. He also had two duffel bags beside him and confronted him from a distance.

“I raised my voice again and asked him if he lived there," Chris remembered. "He said, 'Why are you yelling at me?' So, I continue to ask him if he lives at the residence, and he refused to answer the question.”

By this point, a crowd of neighbors was starting to form around them. The man grabbed his bags and walked away.

No one’s sure what he put in those bags.

“It's definitely a little bit nerve-wracking because you don't know, I mean, where their head space is," Chris said. "It's difficult to tell if this person is really coherent, if they're on, you know, drugs, alcohol, if they're mentally stable, if they have a weapon on them.”

NBC 7 reached out to the USP for an update on this investigation. They are still looking for the man Chris snapped a picture of.

The best way to avoid being a mail theft victim is, according to the USPIS, to check your mail often.

If you’re not going to be home when mail or packages are delivered, have someone you trust pick it up for you or flag it to be held at the post office until you get back.

If you suspect you’ve been a mail theft victim, report it to the postal inspector.

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