USPS offers $150K reward after Harvey mail carrier robbed at gunpoint

HARVEY, Ill. (WLS) -- The United States Postal Inspection Service has offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest of an armed robbers that targeted a mail carrier in the south suburbs Monday.

The reward shows just how serious authorities are taking these crimes, trying to do anything they can to keep postal employees safe.

The United States Postal Service continues to face issues when it comes to the safety of its employees on the street. A USPS letter carrier was robbed at gunpoint on Monday near the area of South Lexington Avenue in Harvey.

A photo shared by the postal inspectors shows a suspected vehicle, which has visible damage, and a child appears to be in the backseat looking out of the window.

"That is terrible and it's shocking someone would do this to a letter carrier and put their child in harms way," said National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 11 President Elise Foster. "So this is what we've been advocating for that something needs to be done."

Foster said the letter carrier involved in the incident is physically okay but is shaken up.

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The Postal Inspection Service said the suspects included a man wearing dark clothing with a gun and a woman who was the driver of the damaged vehicle.

Many people living near the scene of the crime in Harvey said it's upsetting to hear that one of their routine letter carriers had to deal with this.

"It seems like a lot people know him anywhere you go," Harvey resident Chancellor Chapman said. "I just feel bad about it because we can do things better than that."

As the investigation continues, the letter carrier union continues to press local and federal leaders for help.

The master keys are often the target for thieves in the robberies. While there's a national plan in place to change those, that will take several years.

Foster wants immediate solutions.

"We're talking to the postmaster recently trying to get starting times moved up with daylight saving times," Foster said. "The carriers are on the street when it gets darker and we don't want them in harms way. Get them off streets earlier than later. You have the holiday coming up. Somebody needs to do something."

Police and the Postal Inspection Service warned that the suspects may be armed and dangerous. Anyone who recognizes the vehicle has been asked to call police.