A Chicago man accused of robbing a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier and stealing her all-access “arrow key” has been released on electronic monitoring after a judge rejected prosecutors’ request to keep him detained.
Joshua Walder, 24, is charged with robbery, burglary, and theft of government property for the November 14, 2024, holdup in the 6200 block of South Evans Avenue.
At about 3:59 p.m., prosecutors say, Walder threatened the 46-year-old mail carrier and ordered her to hand over her arrow key, a master key that allows access to locked postal collection boxes and apartment mailboxes.
The carrier surrendered the key and immediately called her supervisor. Moments later, both of them allegedly saw Walder rummaging through her USPS van. According to the state’s detention petition, he walked away carrying a crate filled with packages.
They saw a local resident let him into a nearby building. The tenant later told investigators they assumed he was delivering packages and buzzed him inside, only to learn he exited through the back.
Chicago police later recovered the opened packages, their contents gone. Investigators submitted the evidence to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service lab, which lifted three fingerprints and palm prints matching Walder, according to the petition. Investigators also confirmed with Amazon that Walder was not an employee, eliminating any innocent explanation for his prints on the packages.
Prosecutors said Walder admitted to taking the arrow key and packages but claimed he was hired to do it.
The detention petition said USIPS “attempted to present the case” to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution but “after that process [USIPS] determined that they would send the case to CPD.”
In the days after the robbery, postal inspectors released surveillance photos of the robber and offered a $150,000 reward for information.
Despite prosecutors’ request to keep him detained, Judge John Hook denied the petition and ordered Walder released on an ankle monitor pending trial.
Persistent problem
Arrow keys give postal workers — and thieves — access to every blue collection box and locked mailbox panel on a carrier’s route. With one key, thieves can clear out banks of mailboxes in minutes.
CWBChicago has reported extensively on the problem. Robberies of postal workers by criminals desperate to get their hands on arrow keys surged during the pandemic and remain a threat to mail carriers in the city. Postal workers have been pistol-whipped, pepper-sprayed, and even shot at by offenders seeking the keys.
Once thieves have an arrow key, they pass it on to “joggers,” who use it to open banks of mailboxes in residential buildings and steal the contents. The stolen mail is passed on to another arm of the organization specializing in financial crimes like identity theft and check washing.
Federal authorities say the underground market for stolen checks and keys is thriving, with sales taking place on encrypted messaging apps and darknet forums.
For postal customers, the ripple effects can be devastating. Victims report their bills, rent checks, and tax payments stolen right, sometimes leading to late fees or frozen accounts. In other cases, stolen identities are used to open credit lines, leaving residents to untangle fraud that can take years to resolve.
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