Neighbors in a Sherman Oaks apartment complex are raising questions after two thieves broke into their mailboxes, leaving with sensitive mail and packages.
Security cameras caught the two men making their way inside the complex around 3:20 a.m. on June 12.
Debbie Richman has lived in the complex on Kester Avenue for 10 years and said she's happy in her apartment, but frustrated that this happened and how easy it was for the thieves to get inside.
The video shows one man facing in the direction of the key and call box before easily opening the gate. Richman believes the thieves had a key to the complex.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
“It doesn’t make you feel safe here when you see somebody open the door like that, it took them less time to get into the building than it did to open the mailboxes and they opened both really quick,” said Richman.
Once inside the video showed one man trying to open the door that gives access to all the tenants' mailboxes.
Within minutes, the two thieves stuffed all of the mail into a garbage bag, before they made their way out of the complex.
Local
“It was pretty obvious that’s what they were there for and they got what they wanted and it all took place in less than three minutes”, said another tenant who chose not to be named. “With the amount of mail they took there’s a pretty good chance that they got a bunch of numbers that no one should ever have."
The tenant added they went to the credit union and blocked all of their stuff including bank accounts and social security to prevent identity theft.
Due to an increase in mail theft, the Postal Service launched Project Safe Delivery last year.
To help protect yourself, USPS recommends that you pick up mail promptly, inquire about anything overdue, and never send cash in the mail. It’s unknown if any of those tips would have helped in Sherman Oaks.
“I don’t know what else I can do, somebody had the keys,” Richman said.
A postal inspector’s investigation is now underway, but as tenants wait for answers they also want to raise awareness about mail theft in Southern California.
“Other people I know have gotten P.O. Boxes so when they break into the apartments at night they are not involved,” Richman said.
