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A thief was caught on surveillance camera Monday morning attempting to steal mail from a U.S. postal service mailbox in South Pasadena, sticking what appeared to be a makeshift device to pull mail from the slot.
A resident witnessed what she described as “a very disturbing incident” at about 8:20 a.m. during a walk in the neighborhood.
She discovered woman wearing a mask inserting a black rubber device inside the mailbox on the corner of Mission Street and Stratford Avenue. It’s not determined if the suspect was successful in her efforts to steal mail.
“I confronted her and ask what she was doing but she just told me that it was not my business,” explained the witness, noting that profanity was used in the woman’s response.
A white car with a male driver with license plate ending 512 was parked near the mailbox, noted the person watching the person trying to pull out mail from the mailbox.
“We will take care of this,” wrote South Pasadena Police Chief Joe Ortiz in an email when alerted to the situation.
Stealing mail is federal crime. The penalty for theft or receipt of stolen mail is imprisonment not more than five years or a fine or both. The fines can be up to $250,000. In addition, the perpetrator may be subject to state prosecution.
These are types of postal mail identity thieves look for: Bills, credit card offers, tax information, employment papers, bank, income and benefit financial statements.
Call the police immediately and report it to postal service authorities should you see someone stealing mail. To reach the Postal Service, call 1-800-275-8777.
