USPS carrier robbed in broad daylight in Orlando neighborhood
ORLANDO, Fla. - The U.S. Postal Service is searching for the person who robbed a mail carrier at gunpoint in Orlando during the middle of the afternoon. This incident is the latest in a string of similar robberies in Central Florida.
Investigators report that the suspect escaped with the carrier’s universal key, known as an Arrow key.
Video footage shows a black car leaving the scene. Moments before, the USPS confirmed one of their mail carriers was robbed while on duty.
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A concerned neighbor, who asked not to be named, recalled seeing the black car but initially didn't think much of it.
"They had to know what they were looking for," the neighbor said. "I saw a black Mercedes that came in and parked under the tree, and by the time I came in, that car was gone."
The USPS confirmed the robbery, noting that the carrier was unharmed, but the Arrow key was stolen. These keys are used to open mail receptacles in apartment complexes and neighborhoods.
This incident is part of a rising trend of mail carrier robberies. In April, another postal worker was robbed on Minnesota Avenue in Winter Park.
The surge in mail carrier robberies is a nationwide issue.
"Let this be a message to anyone who seeks to commit an armed robbery of a postal carrier. Robbing a postal carrier is not a path to riches. It is a path to investigation, arrest, indictment, and conviction in prison," stated a postal spokesperson.
Residents are increasingly concerned about this trend.
"It concerns me from the standpoint that there are a lot of unknown variables, and you just always cannot look behind your back," one neighbor said.
The Postal Inspection Service reported an increase in postal carrier robberies last year. Congress is discussing legislation that provides new mailbox keys and adjusts prosecution and sentencing guidelines.