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UPDATE: Gun-wielding post office robber kicks in back door, locks clerk in room
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A man wielding a handgun kicked in the back door of a West New York post office and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and valuables after locking the clerk in a back room early this afternoon, authorities said.
The robber kicked in the back door at 1 p.m., pointed the weapon and locked the lone employee in a back room, said Josh Shandler, a U.S. Postal Service inspector.
The clerk wasn't injured, Shandler said.
The bandit was described as black, about 5'10" with a medium build and no distinguishing features, other than large, square designer sunglasses, Shandler said.
U.S. Postal Service inspectors are at the facility now, where they must "go through and do all the accounting" to determine exactly what was taken, Shandler said. They do know that some personal and postal property is missing but are unable to put a dollar figure on it yet.
Shandler emphasized that the penalties for such a crime can reach 25 years in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
"One of the areas of our job that we take very seriously is protecting our customers and employees," he said. "This is a high-priority case for us."
The last postal robbery in the area was a few weeks ago in East Orange. An arrest was made within two weeks, Shandler noted.
A sign on the door directs customers to another nearby branch. Several people kept their distance from the facility, about 50 or so yards from the busy 60th Street intersection. Many of those gathered said they hadn't seen or heard anything.
Anyone with information about the holdup is asked to call the service's 24-hour hotline: 877.USMAIL
(PHOTO by JERRY DeMARCO. USE BY PERMISSION ONLY)
Jerry DeMarco can be reached at GerardJDeMarco@gmail.com. Or: 201.943.2794.
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