Mail Thieves Caught Loading Whole USPS Box Into Van, NYPD Says

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS -- A trio's attempt to steal a U.S. Postal Service mailbox in Forest Hills was foiled when cops caught them hoisting the big blue box into a minivan early Friday morning, police said.

The three men were loading the mailbox into the trunk of a grey 2004 Honda at Yellowstone Boulevard and 67 Road just after 3 a.m. when cops from the 112th precinct's midnight crime team stopped them in the act, an NYPD spokeswoman told Patch.

Police managed to recover the mailbox and the minivan and arrest one 30-year-old man after his two accomplices fled the scene. As of Friday afternoon, his charges were pending, police said.

The three officers who stopped the mailbox theft earned praise on Twitter from NYPD Queens North Commanding Officer Juanita Holmes and Precinct 112 Deputy Inspector Robert Ramos, who called the arrest "outstanding police work."

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Lead photo via NYPD.