Riverside mailboxes picked up for maintenance, not stolen, post office says

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Mailboxes in Riverside, which were initially believed to be stolen, were actually picked up for repairs by maintenance workers, the post office said.

Witnesses told authorities around 10 p.m. Monday, they saw someone using power tools to cut the mailboxes from the ground, where they were bolted into the cement along Hole Avenue.

Police initially believed it was a theft. However, U.S. Postal Service officials confirmed to Eyewitness News that was not the case.

Post office officials said mail collectors were trying to access the mailboxes for collection. But they were not able to get into the boxes and retrieve the mail, because the boxes appeared to have been tampered with - specifically the screws on the mailboxes.

Post office officials then authorized a maintenance worker to pick up the mailboxes so they can be repaired.