Crime & Safety
Providence Man Admits To Assaulting Mailman
Isamael Colon Pena, 19, admitted he punched a U.S. Postal worker after a brief interaction on a narrow South Providence street.
PROVIDENCE, RI — A Providence man admitted to a federal jury Tuesday that he was one of two men who assaulted a U.S. Postal Service worker in November 2021, while the carrier was delivering mail in South Providence.
Isamael Colon Pena, 19, pleaded guilty to assault of a federal employee.
According to court documents, Pena was one of two men seated inside a BMW sedan that stopped on a narrow South Providence street. The road was only wide enough to allow one vehicle to pass at a time.
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As the postal driver maneuvered his truck past the stopped BMW, the postman smiled at the car’s driver in acknowledgement of the brief awkwardness.
This was not the end of the interaction, though. When the letter carrier returned to his truck after delivering a package, prosecutors said he was met by the driver of the BMW, Branly Ferreras-Severino, 22, of Providence.
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According to court documents, Ferreras-Severino said, "You think it’s funny? You almost hit me. You wanna get popped?" before punching the mailman. Colon admitted to the court that he punched the postal worker.
Colon is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18. Ferreras-Severino is awaiting trial.
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