UES Officers Cuff Another Suspected Mail Thief: NYPD

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Another arrest has been made in a series of mailbox fishing thefts that have been plaguing the Upper East Side, officials said, the second mail theft arrest in Lenox Hill in less than two weeks.

Officers received a 911 call reporting a man "fishing" mail out of a United States Postal Service mailbox on Third Avenue and East 66th at just before 2 a.m. on Monday, according to police.

When officers from the 19th Precinct arrived, they arrested Steven Hernandez, 19, who was found with burglary tools and five pieces of stolen mail, according to officials.

The mail never stops: it’s relentless!
Criminals never stop: they’re relentless!
NYPD never stops: we’re relentless!

After a NYer saw a criminal stealing mail from a sidewalk mailbox he called 911—our Public Safety cops swooped in arresting the thief & recovered the stolen mail! pic.twitter.com/Ap8fWtLUlI
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) April 10, 2023

Hernandez was charged with fourth degree grand larceny, five counts of criminal possession of stolen property and possession of burglary tools.

So-called "mail fishing," a name given to the practice of stealing mail through street post boxes, has been a scourge on the Upper East Side for months.

Less than two weeks ago, four people were arrested and charged with a similar scheme at a mailbox just two blocks south also on Third Avenue.

In October, NBC New York reported that the Upper East Side saw more than 100 mail thefts so far that year.

In September, 19th Precinct representatives said they arrested a pair of mail thieves fishing for mail in a post box who had over $84,000 in stolen checks in their car.

19th Precinct captain Anthony Lavino told a community group earlier this year to be wary of the crime, called "check washing," where thieves can change the payable party's name on a check.

According to the latest NYPD crime stats for the Upper East Side, grand larceny is slightly down this year compared to 2022, with six fewer reported incidents reported so far in 2023.