Surveillance video shows a New Jersey postal worker being thrown across a yard by two thieves who steal an arrow key.
A postal worker in New Jersey was ambushed by two thieves who robbed him, stealing his arrow key, surveillance video shows.
This is not an isolated event. In Cincinnati, a mail carrier was held at gunpoint
The United States had been facing an uptick in postal workers being targeted by thieves stealing arrow keys. These are master keys that open mailboxes to entire neighborhoods.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 496 mail carriers were robbed last year, which is up 78%.
Video of the recent robbery in New Jersey shows the postal worker commanding Siri to call 911 and calls to a passing driver to call the police.
A homeowner came outside to help the worker.
“[The postal worker] was upset. Let’s face it, that was a violent attack on him,” the homeowner says.
Frank Albergo, the president of the Postal Police Officers Association, tells Inside Edition about the power of an arrow key.
“Arrow keys are basically universal keys that open every mail receptacle in a given zip code,” Albergo says. “They are like the keys to the city. You have access to incredible amounts of mail.”
There are currently more than half a million mail carriers employed by the U.S. Postal System.
