PEABODY, MASS. (WHDH) - A United States Postal Service mail carrier was robbed at gunpoint in Peabody on Wednesday afternoon and the brazen crime was caught on camera.
Officers responding to Veterans Memorial Drive around 12:30 p.m. spoke with a mail carrier who said he was approached from behind by a suspect who brandished a black firearm and demanded the keys to the Postal Boxes.
The suspect was described as a Black male in his 20s who was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and was wearing a puffy black jacket and a blue face mask, police said. He fled the area in a gray Honda.
Although the suspect remains on the loose, police have an important clue in their investigation thanks to neighbor Richard Campbell, who caught the incident on his home security camera.
Footage shows the suspect approach the mail carrier, show a gun, and demand the mail carrier’s keys.
“It wasn’t until I looked at the videos that you could actually hear the robber tell the postman, ‘This is a holdup, give me your keys,’ and then he’s pleading to get them back,” Campbell said.
Another angle shows the man walking up the street beforehand and then lurking around the corner before ambushing the mailman.
“I’m sorry he had to go through that, He’s the regular postman on this route, I see him all the time, and I hope he’s okay,” Campbell added.
The incident is strikingly similar to an armed robbery of a postal worker in Melrose last month. Police arrested two teens who prosecutors believe were inspired by a TikTok trend to steal mail, hoping there would be checks inside.
Police said the suspect in the Peabody robbery escaped in a gray Honda. Anyone with information is asked to call officers at 978-538-6369 or 978-538-6313.
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