MEDLEY, Fla. — Two men who police said were stealing mail in Medley with the intent of stealing checks were caught and arrested over the weekend.
Surveillance cameras rolling on Saturday afternoon as a man dressed in black with a baseball cap is seen leaving a white commercial work van and heading straight to a mailbox that belongs to a business.
With a screwdriver in hand, police said 36-year-old Yoel Ampudia Hernandez broke into that mailbox along the 7800 block of Northwest 77th Avenue.
A business owner noticed Hernandez, who police said then allegedly ran off and tossed the mail and screw driver that was eventually recovered by authorities.
The business owner told police this wasn’t the first time he’d seen Hernandez in the area.
Another clip of surveillance video shows Hernandez wearing a blue hoodie and attempting to break into the same business mailbox a week ago, according to investigators.
Hernandez apparently didn’t act alone.
Police identified 41-year-old Duniel Mederos Veliz as the getaway driver behind the wheel of that white commercial work van.
Veliz was eventually pulled over for a traffic stop, and during a vehicle search, police found a gun that Veliz claimed belonged to Hernandez.
The business owner positively identified Hernandez and both men were arrested.
“Their method that they are using is opening up mailboxes, most of these businesses have checks of large quantities and they go ahead and use fake identities to go ahead and cash out the checks,” said Medley Police Sgt. Luis Rivera.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service was also notified of the mail theft, and they will be conducting their own investigation.
Both suspects are facing a slew of charges, and police believe there may be other businesses that have been targeted by the duo.
“We are not going to tolerate this type of action in Medley,” said Rivera. “We are on patrol 24/7 making sure our residents and business owners are safe.”
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