A Trenton man and a South Carolina woman are facing burglary and theft charges for allegedly possessing open pieces of mail, including checks and money orders that did not belong to them, according to the Lawrence Township Police Department.
The two suspects, both 19 years old, were arrested after a police officer observed their car parked near the Circle Branch of the United States Post Office on Brunswick Pike at 1:10 a.m. Oct. 6, police said.
The officer, who was on routine patrol, approached the car to speak to the occupants. During the investigation, the man and the woman were allegedly found to be in possession of open pieces of mail and checks and money orders in multiple victims’ names.
The investigation also revealed evidence of a burglary to the mailbox outside the Circle Branch post office, police said.
The man was charged with burglary, theft and trafficking in personal identifying information, police said. He was taken to the Mercer County Correction Center pending a detention hearing.
The woman was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, theft, trafficking in personal identifying information and hindering apprehension, police said. She was processed and released.
Since 2022, numerous reports of check thefts and fraud have been reported to police. In most cases, the victims reported depositing the mail in the mailbox outside the Circle Branch post office on Brunswick Pike, police said.
Anyone with information about the theft of mail is asked to contact Detective Dean Sawasky at (609) 844-7125 or by email to dsawasky@lawrencetwp.com.
