Robber hits mail truck in NE Heights

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - Some residents in a Northeast Albuquerque neighborhood did not get their mail Thursday.  A thief got it instead.

Federal agents are looking for the brazen burglar who broke into a mail carrier's locked truck as the postman walked his route.

It happened in the 1400 block of Rhode Island Street NE near Pennsylvania and Constitution right around noon on Thursday.

“It’s actually a rarity," Postal Inspector Daniel Adame said.  "Typically people are not so brazen as to go and break into a postal vehicle."

The Postal Inspector’s Office doesn’t know how much mail was taken but believes the thief was probably after personal information to steal identities.

Neighbors said it’s a scary feeling knowing their personal information could be compromised.

“Who knows what could have been in," Victoria Meza said.  "It could have been somebody’s Social Security card or something.  I mean it’s pretty creepy."

Meza said he is not missing any mail and will sleep a little easier because she uses a post office box.

“I feel relieved," Meza said.  "Thank God I don’t have to deal with any of the what-ifs."

The Postal Inspectors Office said anyone affected by the theft will get a letter telling them what to do next.

A witness reported seeing a new dark-brown SUV, possibly a Jeep Cherokee, near the mail truck at the time of the break-in.

If you saw anything call Postal Inspector Stephanie Herman at (505) 346-8482 or the Financial Crimes Task Force at (505) 548-5290.