By Christine Vendel – August 14, 2015
HARRISBURG- Postal inspectors papered Allison Hill in Harrisburg Friday with posters offering a $50,000 reward in connection with the assault of a mail carrier two weeks ago.

The carrier was trying to track down a package that had fallen out of his satchel during his route July 31 in the 1500 block of Herr Street, police said.

The carrier retraced his steps and found the soft-sided package, but it had been ripped open and its contents removed. The carrier saw a man and two women in the 1200 block of Cumberland Street and asked if they had seen anything, said Joseph Corrado, the postal inspector who is investigating the case with city police detectives.

Instead of answering, the man reportedly unleashed his pit bull on the carrier and threw the carrier down a grassy hill, Corrado said. The man then reportedly dragged the carrier down two flights of concrete steps that separate two parts of a housing development.

“Not once, but twice, he was assaulted,” Corrado said. “He was just looking to ask if they knew anything.”
The man could have simply answered, yes, no, or “I don’t want to get involved,” Corrado said.

“There are three answers to that question,” Corrado said. “That’s what’s so crazy about this incident.”

The carrier, who is in his 40s, suffered scrapes and bruises. He was treated at the scene and has since returned to his route, Corrado said.

The alleged attacker was described as a black man, 6 feet tall, about 160 pounds with a slender build. He wore black knee-length shorts, a white muscle shirt, and a “bucket hat,” which is also known as a fisherman hat. He had a cream-colored pit bull on a leash, Corrado said.

He was with two women, one of whom was pushing a stroller.

Anyone with information on the man’s identity should relay it to postal inspectors. If the information leads to an arrest and conviction in the case, the tipster could get up to $50,000 cash.

“I’ve paid this before,” Corrado said. “Our highest priority is securing the safety of our employees. Without them, we don’t get the mail. We take these type of events very seriously.”

People with information can remain anonymous and call 1-877-876-2455. The number is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Corrado said.

“We need to talk to these people,” he said of the man and two women. “We need to get their side of the story.”

Source: Postal inspectors offer $50,000 reward to ID man who attacked Harrisburg mail carrier | PennLive.com