Police: Stolen mail found in U-Haul truck after bailout in SW Miami-Dade
MIAMI - Postal inspectors are working with Miami-Dade police detectives to find out who is responsible for stealing mail from residential mailboxes found inside a U-Haul pick-up truck.
Police set up a perimeter looking for the driver who bailed out of the truck in the area of SW 117th Avenue and 140th Terrace around 3 AM Thursday morning but have since cleared the scene.
MDPD has not yet made any arrests.
Bryan Masmela of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that more than 200 pieces of mail have been recovered that were stolen from the area on Thursday.
He says there has been an increase locally and nationwide in mail thefts and says U-Haul trucks have been used before in such crimes.
"Unfortunately, we have seen in the past U-Haul trucks being used to canvass neighborhoods Ann steal mail," he said.
"Unfortunately we have seen a rise in mail thefts here in South Florida and the rest of the nation. We have some advice: Pick up your mail as soon as possible and track your packages. Get a locked or secure mailbox, if you can and if you are going to be away for a long weekend or vacation, make sure your mail is held. And be mindful of your neighborhood. If you see someone stealing mail or looking into mailboxes, call 911. Be mindful of when deliveries are going to arrive. Don't leave your mail in your mailbox overnight."
CBS4 cameras captured police searching the vehicle, which was later towed away to dust for fingerprints.
Residents in the neighborhood told us mail and delivery theft is a common problem, but one man told CBS4 that his mother had a package stolen Wednesday, and it was caught on camera; showing a truck that looked a lot like the one that crashed.
"When she came home she asked me about it, and I said I didn't know just check the ring and when she checked it she saw somebody take her package." He estimated, it likely happened within 20 minutes of delivery. "She was just angry that someone took her package."
That video was shared with CBS 4, it showed a U-Haul truck parked on the lawn of his house, a person steps out, and takes the package.
Masmela told D'Oench that the woman in the video is a person of interest and they would like to question her.
Postal investigators said, "U.S. Postal Service customers should contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) to report information on crimes involving mail. These reports can be made online at www.uspis.gov or by calling 877-876-2455. These reports are important to document incidents (creating a paper trail), which helps Postal Inspector investigations and may lead to the identification and apprehension of criminals."
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-8477 or (305) 471-TIPS.