Cops Catch Pair Of UES Mail Crooks: NYPD

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Two men were arrested after Upper East Side cops spotted the duo attempting to steal mail from a USPS mailbox, according to police.

Kenley Silvestre and Altamir De Oliveira, both 24-years-old, were arrested and charged with criminal tampering, an NYPD spokesperson told Patch.

At around 10:15 p.m. on Halloween, officers from the 19th Precinct saw two men using a belt covered in a sticky material attempt to fish mail from a post box on First Avenue and East 86th Street, officials said.

A social media post from the 19th Precinct says that the pair "gave chase" but were eventually caught and arrested.

The 19th Precinct has long sounded the alarm about theft from USPS collection boxes, particularly regarding a practice known as "fishing," or when crooks insert a belt or string into a mail slot with adhesive on the end to try and steal mail.

A recent federal indictment included 16 people who had targeted and stole from Upper East Side mailboxes, officials said in October.

19th Precinct captain Anthony Lavino told a community group earlier this year to be wary of the crime, called "check washing," where thieves can change the payable party's name on a check.