New Jersey Residents Demanding Action After Gifts Arrive Opened, Empty In Postal Crime Spree
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – Residents in New Jersey want to know what's going on with their mail. Homeowners are opening up their mailboxes to find envelopes already opened and gifts stolen.
A congratulations card ripped open before it's even delivered to the homeowner's doorstep. A Maplewood family says that's what they found after someone swiped a check intended for their newborn. It's not an isolated case either.
"There was a card in here with a gift card. We didn't get the card or the gift card," Mike Barnett of South Orange said.
Barnett says someone stole gift cards for his kids that were sent by their grandmother.
"If this is consistently happening in one location something is going on beyond an accident."
The envelope arrived a week later, shredded.
On Monday, another South Orange family who asked not to be identified received four get well cards. Each one of them had been torn open before making it to their mail slot.
"For someone to have the audacity to go through someone else's mail is a bit surprising," the resident told CBS2's Jessica Layton.
"Doesn't seem like anyone is looking into what's happening even after complaints are filed."
"One is an accident, two is a trend," Maya Singletary said. "I'm a little fed up."
CBS2 called the post office to find out what's going on in this area. A spokesperson claimed he wasn't aware of any specific problems, but promised to share the concerns and all the pictures CBS2 sent him with the postal inspector.
The spokesperson added that anyone that's had a problem should file a complaint, saying "the U.S. Postal Service reaches every home and business in the country. The vast majority of the mail it delivers arrives intact."
That hollow slogan doesn't mean much to those who feel violated by the thief or thieves involved.
"Don't steal. Give us our stuff that we're supposed to get instead of empty envelopes," Barnett said.