Alleged ‘Mailbox Fisher’ Arrested In Bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield police arrested a man who allegedly tried to pry open a local mailbox last week in a case of “mailbox fishing.” The Paterson resident had more than 20 pieces of mail in his possession at the time of arrest, authorities said.

According to Bloomfield police, the arrest took place as mailbox fishing thefts are on the rise in Essex County, including Bloomfield, Glen Ridge and Nutley.

What’s “mailbox fishing?” Bloomfield police stated:

“Mail fishing is a low-tech crime in which rudimentary tools are covered with sticky substances to pluck bank documents, checks and birthday cards out of collection boxes. Perpetrators will often use a bottle with tac paper attached to scoop envelopes out of collection boxes, hence the term ‘fishing.’ The spate of thefts started across the Hudson River in the Bronx, from where they eventually branched out to the rest of New York City before spreading locally.”

Police reports in the area have suggested that the most common time for mail fishing is Sunday nights, Bloomfield authorities said.

Bloomfield police have responded to the rise in mailbox-related thefts by conducting late-night, undercover surveillance in the township. And on Tuesday, May 8, their effort paid off, authorities said.

According to the BPD:

“On May 8, two Bloomfield detectives observed a van pull up outside of the 1296 Broad Street mailbox. Two men got out of the van and began to pry the mailbox open with a pry bar. When the detectives approached the suspects, one man fled on foot, one man drove in the van. The man in the van was apprehended, and identified as Johan Lake-Rodriguez, 26, from Paterson. In custody, he was identified as the man who had cashed two separate checks from victims in banks in Bloomfield, through video obtained by the BPD. His background check revealed prior charges from Paterson and Totowa, and he has links to an individual arrested in Glen Ridge last week for mail fishing. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of over 20 pieces of mail from other locations.”

Lake-Rodriguez’s accomplice escaped on foot and is being sought by police, authorities said.

Authorities charged Lake-Rodriguez with theft, forgery, fraud, conspiracy to commit theft, conspiracy to commit forgery and conspiracy to commit fraud.

The May 8 incident isn’t the first that Bloomfield police have had to deal with, according to Director of Public Safety Samuel DeMaio.

“So far, our department has received approximately 50 reports of residents being victims of mail fishing,” DeMaio said. “We encourage residents to check on the status of checks, money orders, or even birthday cards sent in the mail, and immediately report any such envelope that did not reach its intended recipient as soon as possible.”

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In April, the Glen Ridge Police Department arrested two people who allegedly "fished" 24 checks worth more than $116,000 out of a USPS mailbox just prior to the end of the 2018 tax season. Many of the recovered checks were destined for the IRS, authorities said.

• See related article: Essex County 'Mailbox Fishers' Busted During Tax Season

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