Officials are offering a big reward for information leading to the arrests of robbers who have targeted mail carriers in the city.
Police say the latest robbery took place on Tuesday around 3:30 p.m. in North Philadelphia. A mail carrier was walking on the 2400 block of North 19th Street, only blocks away from a post office, when he was approached by two masked gunmen.
The gunmen allegedly demanded the mailman’s bag and then ran off with it. Police say they then jumped into a Silver Lexus and fled the scene.
"Postal mail carrier safety is a paramount concern," said U.S. Postal Inspector George Clark. "So to the extent anyone is robbed out here on the street doing their job, we are concerned."
The mailman was not hurt during the incident.
"It's shocking to me because he's just a nice guy," said Robert Williams.
Police say the incident marked the third time since November 7 that a mail carrier was robbed on their route. The other two robberies occurred in Oxford Circle and Mt. Airy. During each incident, the mailmen were targeted for their mail bags and packages but were not hurt. Investigators don't believe the crimes were related.
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"I don't think there's any reason to believe at this point that these are connected," Clark said. "Very different parts of the city, different people, different neighborhoods."
Robbing a mail carrier is considered a federal crime. Postal inspectors are offering up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest in any of the robberies.
If you have any information, please call Philadelphia Police.
