A suspect was arrested on Thursday for allegedly stealing bags of mail from postal relay boxes in Boro Park. The arrest was made possible thanks to the efforts of Shomrim, who had been conducting stakeouts at targeted relay boxes due to the recent rise in mail theft.

At around 11:45 a.m., a Shomrim member spotted the suspect opening a relay box on 12th Avenue and 36th Street and removing bags of mail. The suspect initially headed towards a U-Haul truck but fled on foot after realizing he was being watched. Backup units followed him and contacted the NYPD, who arrived and arrested the suspect on 9th Avenue just minutes later.

Upon searching the U-Haul truck connected to the suspect, police recovered multiple bags of stolen mail, a loaded handgun, and additional ammunition in a backpack.

The suspect is facing charges for mail theft, a federal offense, as well as weapons possession.

This incident comes after a similar case last month in Kensington, where a man was arrested for opening empty relay boxes.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)