Skyway mail theft caught on surveillance camera

SKYWAY, Wash. — You almost have to see it to believe it. Surveillance video captures bold thieves sawing a stand of mailboxes off their perch.

This theft happened in broad daylight Saturday afternoon in Skyway’s Lakeridge neighborhood.

These thieves even tried to take the entire stand of mailboxes.

But it was so big and so heavy that they couldn’t get it in the car, so they tipped it over and took the mail out.

The video shows how the theft occurred. Three people inside this vehicle appeared to case this Skyway neighborhood overlooking Lake Washington. It was 4:40 Saturday afternoon, moments after the mail had been delivered.

“Some of our neighbors actually crossed paths with the suspects,” said Tyler Roberts.

He and his spouse weren’t home when the crooks showed up. But he had intentionally pointed his surveillance camera toward the mailboxes.

“You thought something like this might happen?” said Tyler. “Yeah, I’ve seen additional mail theft in the area, so. I’ve seen it. I’ve heard about it.”

The camera captured it all. First, you see the thieves appear to check out the area. Then, they settle on a cluster of four mailboxes including Tyler’s. And off to work.

One man starts to saw the stand. He stops for a few seconds, then resumes. He finally cuts his way through.

Then he turns the boxes over and begins pulling out the mail. He and an accomplice try to get the box into the Audi, but they can’t.

Hence, he collects the rest of the mail. But they are not done. They come back to try again, but again, they can’t get the box into the vehicle. They drive off.

But they’re still not done. They douse the mailbox in a liquid, presumably to wipe off their fingerprints.

Now the stand is in Tyler’s garage, and he and his neighbors are already planning to fill the hole left behind with new, sturdier mailboxes.

“We’re building a platform for a new steel cluster mailbox units,” said Tyler. “This one’s going to be a lot more secure.”

But it won’t be cheap. He says the new mailbox could go for about $2,000. He and 12 other neighbors plan to split the cost.

Meanwhile, the King County Sheriff’s Office says mail thefts are actually down by more than half across the county compared to last year.

If you know anything about this theft, please give them a call.

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