2 mail carriers robbed minutes apart in Dayton, Trotwood; Postal Service joins police investigation

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — UPDATE @ 10 p.m.: Police in Dayton and Trotwood as well as U.S. Postal Inspection Service inspectors are looking for one or two suspects in the armed robberies of two mail carriers Thursday.

Neither mail carrier was injured. But both, in separate calls to 9-1-1, said a young man approached, with gun drawn, and took their keys -- including what each described as an “arrow” key that opens the blue mailboxes that sit on street corners in cities all over the country.

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He asked for my keys,” said one of the mail carriers who told a 9-1-1 operator he was robbed in the 400 block of Malden Avenue in Trotwood. “He had a gun with him,” the postal worker said. “All I seen was the gun and I gave it [keys] to him.”

The mail carrier from the Malden Avenue robbery said “nothing like this has ever happened” in the 30 years he has worked for the Post Office.

He said the robber “looked like a young kid” who ran off and jumped in a small black Nissan that took off toward Hoover Avenue. The assailant wore jeans and light green jacket that had a hood.

The other mail carrier said he was robbed in the 2900 block of Melbourne Avenue in Dayton, off North Gettysburg.

“He walked up to my truck. He had a gun out. I was getting ready to get out of the truck” when the robber approached. “He was trying to get the arrow key that gets into our blue [mail]boxes. He took my whole set of keys.”

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The postal worker in the Melbourne Avenue robbery said the male who robbed him wore a hoodie, aqua in color, black shorts and red-and-black Jordans.

Thursday night, Nicole Lutz, postal inspector with the Cincinnati Field Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said, “fortunately both letter carriers were not injured.”

Postal inspectors, along with local law enforcement, responded to the scenes and canvassed the areas, Lutz said.

“Our office currently has an active investigation that is ongoing. We are working with our local law enforcement partners to follow up any and all leads. We are asking the public if they have any knowledge of the robberies to contact the Post Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.”

INITIAL REPORT

Police are on scene of two reported armed robberies of postal workers in Montgomery County.

Two incidents of postal workers being robbed at gunpoint roughly a mile apart from one another were reported less than 15 minutes apart Thursday afternoon, Montgomery County Regional Dispatch confirmed.

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The first incident was reported on Melbourne Ave in Dayton at 12:39 p.m. 12 minutes later, at 12:51 p.m., a similar incident was reported on Malden Avenue in Trotwood, according to dispatch records.

It is unknown at this time if anyone was injured or if anyone has been taken into custody.

Law enforcement remains on scene of both incidents.

We have a crew on the way and will update as we learn more.

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