Police in Bergen County are alerting residents to multiple mailbox thefts this year, including one theft that resulted in the arrest of two men from the Bronx.
The Maywood Police Department is advising residents to not drop mail in area mailboxes after three thefts have occurred within the past month.
Mail that contains checks, personal information or cash should be dropped off in collection boxes located inside the post office, according to police.
Police saw two men trying to steal mail from a post office box at 2:38 a.m. on Oct. 27 in the area of West Pleasant Avenue, according to a news release.
Enyer Portes-Herrera, 22, and Justin Gonzalez-Morel, 18, both from the Bronx, were arrested after police found they had stolen mail in their possession, police said.
Portes-Herrera was charged with identity theft, theft of movable property, trafficking personal information of another and possession of burglary tools.
Gonzalez-Morel was charged with conspiracy to commit identity theft and money laundering.
Both were released pending future court dates.
In a separate incident, in the early hours on Nov. 14, someone targeted the same mailbox and were able to remove its contents using a mailbox key, police said.
A third theft occurred on Nov. 18 at 4:31 a.m. when suspects used a key to access the mailbox. They arrived in a vehicle with a stolen license plate attached to it, police said.
Maywood detectives are investigating these incidents along with the United States Postal Inspection Service.
The police department said Maywood borough and surrounding areas have seen an increase in mailbox thefts. The thieves tend to target mailboxes late at night and into the early morning hours to use devices made from rat traps and string to remove the mail, police said.
The thieves have more recently been able to obtain stolen mailbox keys, which makes stealing large amounts of mail much easier, officials said.
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