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San Antonio woman frustrated with rise in mail theft in her neighborhood

The woman said despite capturing the crime on camera, police have yet to find the thief.

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio woman said her surveillance camera captured someone stealing her mail back in May, but there has been no progress on the case.

Mail theft has been on the rise across the country and that includes here in San Antonio according to postal inspector leaders.

Sarah lives in the Tanglewood neighborhood in northwest San Antonio. She said anytime her family plans to travel they put their mail delivery on hold. But back on Memorial Day weekend, they decided to travel at the last minute.

“I didn’t get a chance to put it on hold but to me, we’ve never had an issue here, so I thought one night wouldn’t be a big deal,” Sarah said.

In the six years she has lived in the neighborhood, she said this was the first time someone stole her mail.

“Our neighborhood has been hit several times since then,” Sarah said. “Not just our road but throughout the entire neighborhood so this seems like it’s really kind of ballooning.”

She reported it to the San Antonio Police Department and to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. More than a month later, she said she has yet to hear about any progress in the case. She was told by investigators that it would be hard to catch the person since her video did not capture the license plate.

Sarah said she still wanted her neighbors to know what happened, so she posted on Nextdoor. She said she quickly came across similar posts showing what appears to be the same white van in her surveillance video.

“Even if it’s not the same van, it’s mail theft that continues to happen in our neighborhood,” Sarah said.

She said she is now considering moving out of San Antonio to avoid property crime altogether.

“That low level crime is going to build up and it’s going to create bigger problems later and down the road,” Sarah said. “So if we are not addressing it now, we are creating a bigger problem for San Antonio’s future and the safety.”

SAPD said the case is still an active investigation. 

USPS has posted about ways to prevent mail theft. Postal leaders urge you not to send cash through the mail and to check your mail every day. If you are out of town, you can put your mail delivery on hold. They also encourage you to sign up for informed delivery.

If you suspect your mail has been stolen, it is important to report it to both police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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