Mail carrier thieves now targeting Bay Area suburbs, US Postal Inspector says

BLACKHAWK, Calif. (KGO) -- Wednesday authorities say a brazen daytime robbery of a mail carrier happened in unincorporated Danville, near Blackhawk.

It's the latest robbery of a letter carrier and the U.S. Postal Inspector says thieves are now targeting smaller suburban Bay Area towns and cities. A $150,000 reward is now being offered in these cases too.

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Deputies could be seen scouring the area where authorities say the mail carrier was robbed. Video from SKY7 shows that carrier, who is physically okay, shortly after the thief took his keys on Portola Drive.

Matt Norfleet is a U.S. Postal Inspector, the law enforcement arm of the US Postal Service.

"Came up as if they were a customer and then demanded the carriers keys, snatched the keys, gestured that he had a weapon, scared the carrier off, and then fled on foot through a footpath there in the Danville area," Norfleet said.

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With a push from South Bay residents after several incidents, a bipartisan bill called the Mail Theft Act was introduced.

He says that robberies are no longer just affecting letter carriers in big cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

"We're definitely seeing these robberies happening in the Bay Area suburbs. In outlying areas, away from those population centers. We believe there is an underground market to buy and sell these keys," said Norfleet.

Those keys are eventually used to open large mailboxes, something ABC7 News reported on in South San Jose earlier this year.

Norfleet says many of these thieves aren't after packages, but rather mail that may contain checks or credit cards.

The reward for the arrest and conviction of these robbers is now up to $150,000.

VIDEO: Thieves targeting Bay Area mail carriers to steal keys, police say

Palo Alto police and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating a robbery that happened at an apartment complex off Middlefield Road on Thursday.

"That's a lot of money!" said ABC7 News Reporter J.R. Stone.

"It's absolutely a lot of money, we consider it a reflection of how seriously we take the problem. It's outrageous and unacceptable for working people, letter carriers to be facing threats," said Norfleet.

Earlier this year ABC7 News spoke with mail carrier Bill Murphy. He's now been robbed twice on his East Bay route.

"I was approached by a man brandishing a shotgun," Murphy said. "I was shocked, I couldn't believe that someone would do such a brazen thing in broad daylight."

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Authorities say if you notice a mail carrier being followed, call police. They also recommend going to collect your mail every day in the early evening hours since many of the actual mail thefts are happening in the overnight hours.

Norfleet urges those who believe a mail theft or robbery has occurred to call the U.S. Postal Inspector line at (877)876-2455. He reminds folks that reward money is given out if your information leads to an arrest or conviction.