Two Somerville teens allegedly used an airsoft gun and a knife to rob a female USPS mail carrier in Melrose after they were inspired by TikTok trends “and other places” on how to make money, the Middlesex District Attorney said.
The two 16-year-old males were arraigned on Wednesday in juvenile court. The teens are being charged with armed masked robbery, officials said.
On Dec. 10, Melrose Police responded to Orchard Lane for a report of two males who threatened a USPS mail carrier, officials said.
An investigation revealed that the two teens were sitting on the steps of an Orchard Lane home when the mail carrier arrived. When the mail carrier approached the driver’s door of her truck to deliver mail to a home on the street, the two teens approached her, pointing an airsoft pistol and showing her a knife. The teens then demanded postal property from the mail carrier.
“The letter carrier complied and the defendants fled the scene,” officials said.
Police said they were able to identify the teens after a review of the video, witness interviews and other evidence. On Dec. 18, police said they saw a “suspicious vehicle” in the area of a USPS collection box in Melrose.
Allegedly, both teens were inside the vehicle with mail and the stolen postal property, police said.
“Investigators further learned that the two males had allegedly heard about the idea to steal mail containing checks through TikTok trends and other places as a way to make money,” officials said.
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