PORTLAND, Oregon — A United States Postal Service mail carrier was robbed in Portland on Sept. 5 and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect in the robbery.
The robbery happened on Sept. 5 around 7:25 p.m. on the breezeway on the north side of The Matisse, an apartment complex located at 677 South Lowell Street. A man approached the carrier and showed that he was armed with a handgun, according to Postal Inspector Adam Sale, then asked the carrier to give up her keys and some mail.
"The carrier, doing the right thing immediately, just gave up — said 'Yes, whatever you need,'" Sale said. "While she wasn't physically injured, the mental toll and the emotional toll it takes is pretty is very significant. And we try not to downplay that ... they are victims, that it's a horrible crime. And it can be very emotionally challenging for our letter carriers."
Sale said that it's important that postal inspectors recover the stolen keys, which can open collection and postal boxes, but they can limit the ability of those keys to work in the meantime.
Given how many deliveries postal carriers do every day, Sale said it's fairly uncommon for them to be robbed or assaulted. It's a federal crime to do so, equivalent to an assault on any federal officer.
"We're coming after you, and we're gonna find you," Sale said. "If a letter carrier is injured or assaulted, we will bring the full force of the United States government to bear."
According to the USPIS, the unidentified man is described as 5-foot-8 to 5-10 with a medium build. He was also described as being "clean cut" with bright blue eyes, wearing a black jacket with white lettering on the back. The suspect left the area in a dark-colored Ford Explorer.
Sylvia Mathews lives in the area where the robbery happened. She said that she usually feels safe walking around during the day, but a brazen crime like this is "very scary."
"I think he must have been pretty desperate, the fellow who did that," Mathews said. "But that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of people like him out there, I don't like it."
The Matisse issued the following statement in response to a request for comment:
“Last week, a postal employee was robbed while delivering mail at The Matisse. We have been cooperating fully with Portland Police and federal authorities, and are appreciative of the U.S. Postal Service’s offer of a reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Any specific questions about the incident or impact on mail delivery should be directed to the Postal Service given its role as the lead agency. We are grateful there has been minimal impact on our residents and will continue to follow the guidance of the Postal Service as it investigates this incident."
Anyone with information can contact the UPIS tip line at 877-876-2455.
There were at least two other reported robberies involving mail carriers over the past year. On March 8, a man threatened and robbed a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in a Northeast Portland neighborhood, according to Portland police. The mail carrier told police that the man "threatened her with violence" unless she gave him the keys to mailboxes.
On Sept. 20, 2022, a man robbed a USPS mail carrier at gunpoint near Northeast 10th Avenue and Hancock Street, USPIS said. The suspect took the satchel, a scanner and postal keys, but the mail carrier wasn't physically harmed.