Police Arrest Four In Lenox Hill Mailbox Theft: NYPD

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Officers from the 19th Precinct claim they caught four people in the act of stealing mail from a Lenox Hill mailbox, a crime that Upper East Side officials have long said is on the rise, according to police.

On Tuesday, Upper East Side officers noticed a group of people removing mail from a United States Postal Service mailbox on East 64th Street and Third Avenue, officials said.

Police said that the four individuals, all from The Bronx and aged between 19 and 26, were found with multiple personal checks that were removed from envelopes.

The mail never stops,
mail thieves never stop,
& the NYPD never stops!

After our Public Safety Team spotted a quartet of criminals stealing mail from a USPS mailbox—they moved in & arrested all FOUR suspects! Thanks to our @PostalInspector partners for their assist in this case! pic.twitter.com/7t6384QjYd
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) March 28, 2023

Officers arrested Freddy Floes, 19, Issaiah Mcconon, 26, Leslie Perez, 21, and Carlos Garcia, 22, all charged with criminal possession of stolen property, police said.

Flores and Garcia were also charged with grand larceny, officials told Patch. Garcia received a third charge of possession of burglar tools as well, police added.

Upper East Side police have been sounding the alarm about mailbox theft since last fall.

In October, NBC New York reported that the Upper East Side saw more than 100 mail thefts so far that year.

In September, 19th Precinct representatives said they arrested a pair of mail thieves fishing for mail in a post box who had over $84,000 in stolen checks in their car.

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.