RYE, New York (WABC) – Residents of the town of Rye have been warned after police discovered thieves were using mousetraps to steal envelopes from United States Postal Service mailboxes.
The traps were found in the slots of mailboxes on Purdy Ave., Elm Place, West Purdy and in front of the fire station on Locust Ave.
A local resident, Tom Shkreli, told Eyewitness News on Wednesday that he dropped a letter off at the Rye post office and immediately noticed sticky residue on his fingers.
“It felt sticky,” Shkeli said. “I guess they are brave thieves or criminals.”
Surveillance video shows a masked suspect fishing mail out of the same mailbox and stuffing it into his pockets. The suspect used the glue trap to push back the teeth while lowering a strap containing another sticky substance to pull the mail out.
“This is the first time we have seen this technology,” added Lt. Mike Anfuso of the Rye Police Department.
Last year, the Postal Service installed thousands of these high-security mailboxes, which feature narrow slots and retractable plastic teeth designed to prevent letters from being pulled out.
“It blew my mind,” said Ingrid Lopp of Rye. “I guess it’s brilliant, but it’s just sad.”
Investigators say they are currently trying to identify the license plate of the silver BMW driven by the masked suspect.
The police recommend that citizens drop off their mail, especially checks, at the local post office and hand it over to the officer there.
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