Letter Carrier Victim Of Armed Robbery In Joliet: Jungles

JOLIET, IL — A U.S. Postal mail carrier who was working in the Preston Heights area of Joliet Township on Tuesday afternoon was the victim of an armed robbery, according to Will County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Dan Jungles. The crime happened around 12:45 p.m. on Halloween, and the robber got away and has evaded capture by sheriff's police this week.

Jungles said the postal employee was robbed in the 500 block of Ontario Street at gunpoint, as the robber stole their cellular phone and two trays of mail. Originally, the mail carrier's delivery truck was stuck in a ditch because of the snow and icy conditions. That's when the armed robber showed up driving an older model red GMC sport utility vehicle and pretended to offer assistance, asking the federal employee if they needed help.

But rather than help get the mail delivery truck out of the ditch, the man in the ski mask pulled out his Glock semi-automatic gun and declared, "Give me everything you got," Jungles said.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said the postal carrier took off running, through a wooded area, and waived down a citizen for help on Champlain Street.

The postal carrier was able to ping his phone, which was recovered along the roadway on Patterson Road. Deputies were able to gain other preliminary information on a possible offender and are continuing their investigation, Hoffmeyer said.

"We get armed robberies all the time," Jungles remarked. "I don't recall any postal employees being robbed ever. You see that all the time (in Cook County) but this is the first."

Last week, Patch published a crime story out of Harvey, where authorities are offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people involved in an armed robbery of a mail carrier in Harvey.

The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. on Oct. 23. A man in his 30s fled in a silver Chevrolet Impala that was traveling with a dark blue Hyundai Elantra, which had extensive rear damage and was occupied by a female and a young child, according to authorities, who said the suspects are considered armed and dangerous.

In August, two mail carriers were robbed at gunpoint in Chicago, and police said one was shot.