Mail Carrier Beaten During Attempted Robbery In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A young mailman had his nose broken after four men attacked hom on his mail route -- it has some in the neighborhood on edge.
As CBS2's Jessica Moore reported, surveillance footage shows the four crooks strolling the halls of 814 Tilden Street in the Bronx on the morning of Friday, January 6.
One of the thugs glanced towards the ceiling -- unfazed by the security camera capturing a clear image of his face.
"They don't live here," building resident Leslie Henderson said.
The attack on the building's 26-year-old mailman left Henderson feeling vulnerable.
"That's really upsetting, and if they came in here just like that, they could've attacked me too," she said.
Police said the men demanded money, but when the mailman wouldn't give it to them they punched him in the face and broke his nose.
"Why would you come into a building where you don't know anyone and do something like that," Paula Gilfillian said. "Oh my god. I thought about my child. i texted my daughter and said, 'you gotta get home early, this is happening in the building,' it was shocking."
Residents said the accused attackers either followed someone inside or got in through a basement door which is sometimes left propped open.
"I just can't understand how they really got in, because you have to have a key," Henderson said.
The postal service told CBS2 the matter is under investigation. They're hoping someone who sees the video will recognize the attackers before they can hit another unsuspecting victim.
The mailman was treated at Jacobi Medical Center and released. The suspects have been described as being in their teens or early twenties.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are kept strictly confidential.
