Queens mail carrier speaks out after being robbed at gunpoint. This is what she says the suspect wanted.
NEW YORK - A Queens mail carrier who was robbed at gunpoint is speaking out about the harrowing encounter. It happened Monday on her regular route in Maspeth.
Describing the ordeal from the office of her attorneys Levine & Blit, the mail carrier asked to remain anonymous.
She said she was seated on a ledge at the corner of 55th Avenue and 63rd Place waiting for a mail truck delivery when a stranger greeted her.
"He said something about the weather, 'How are you holding up?' or 'How's the weather?' And I said, 'Oh, thank you. Everything's fine. Have a great day.' Then, he passed by," the mail carrier said.
Security footage shows the suspect, dressed in dark clothing, turn back to approach her. She said the unknown male displayed a gun and held it to her waist.
"I raised my hands," she said.
She said he used his other hand to remove her mail key from her belt loop before fleeing on foot. She tried to take a mental picture as he walked away to better describe him later.
"Very clear, very light glasses with the gold rim, that's what I remember the most," she said.
The victim said the day after the robbery, she got in uniform to head to work, but pulled over when she started trembling. She hopes to get back to serving the community she cherishes.
"I have very good people on my route. I actually feel like they're my family now," she said.
Thieves targeting mail carriers to steal universal mail keys
Postal insiders tell CBS New York the universal mail key, or arrow key, can open cluster mailboxes, apartment mailbox panels, green USPS relay boxes, and even some apartment building doors. It has become a target.
Mail carrier safety is top of mind as the problem of mail theft intensifies. A recent federal audit investigated the Postal Service's response to the spike in Queens and found major mismanagement of security.
The National Association of Letter Carriers is pushing for new legislation. The Protect Our Letter Carriers Act introduced in Congress in May would devote $7 billion in funding to enhanced postal security.
The Postal Inspection Service declined to address details but told CBS New York that USPS employee safety is a top priority.
NYPD said no arrest has been made and the investigation is ongoing.
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