MELROSE, Mass. — A pair of 16-year-old boys from Somerville have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery of a United States Postal Service mail carrier in Melrose earlier this month, law enforcement officials said.
The two boys, whose names haven’t been released because of their age, were arraigned Wednesday in juvenile court on a charge of armed masked robbery in connection with an attack on a mail carrier on Orchard Lane on Dec. 10, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and the Melrose Police Department announced in a joint news release.
An investigation revealed that the juveniles were sitting on the steps of an Orchard Lane home when the victim pulled up, officials said. The victim delivered mail to a home on the street and as she approached the driver’s door of her truck, the two juveniles allegedly approached her, pointed an airsoft pistol at her, showed her a knife, and demanded postal property.
The boys were identified on Dec. 18 when a Melrose police officer saw a suspicious vehicle in the area of a USPS collection box in the city. Police said that the suspects were in possession of mail and the stolen postal property.
Investigators noted the boys got the idea of stealing mail containing checks through TikTok trends and other places as a way to make money.
Neighbors told Boston 25 that the mail carrier had plans to retire two weeks after the incident. A $50,000 reward was also offered for information that led to an arrest.
An investigation remains ongoing.
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