SEATTLE — Three United States Postal Service (USPS) mail trucks were stolen in West Seattle this month.
According to Postal Inspector John Wiegand, the trucks were "almost immediately recovered," but some pieces of mail were stolen.
Wiegand said they believe the thefts are connected, because two happened around the same time on Tuesday. One theft happened just a few days earlier.
USPS said all three of the stolen trucks were found just a couple of blocks from where they were taken.
USPS is now working to notify customers that their mail may have been stolen, but says it is going to take some time to do that.
"A bunch of mail had already been delivered. And there was still some mail that needed to be delivered at that time," Wiegand said. "So it takes a little bit of a process to figure out, kind of, through the carrier's route as to what address has already been delivered, what was left in the vehicle, and then now what is missing from the vehicle."
USPS says the mail carriers were not inside the trucks at the time and all the vehicles were properly locked. It did not elaborate on how the suspects got in, or if there was any damage to the trucks. It says it's working to better secure its vehicles.
Wiegand says if you live in West Seattle and notice even one unusual charge on your account, contact police or the postal service. Even if the charge is small, reporting it will help them further their investigation.
He also urges residents who are expecting any kind of check, debit card, birthday card with money, etc. to reach out to the sender and verify when they expected it to be delivered.
The best ways to contact the postal service are online at usps.gov or at their 24-hour line at 1 (877) 876-2455.