USPS worker caught dumping mail in Tennessee sparks outrage
A United States Postal Service worker in Tennessee has been caught on camera discarding multiple boxes of what appears to be mail into a dumpster, in a video that has since gone viral on social media.
The viral incident
TikTok user @Mrs_Denton19 filmed the unidentified USPS worker in uniform repeatedly transferring boxes from his mail van to a dumpster in the Nashville neighborhood of Antioch. “You can’t make this up,” she exclaimed. “He is dumping federal mail in the dumpster. And looking around while he’s doing it! This has got to be a crime of some sort.”
Suspicious activity
In the video, the postal worker is seen disposing of two full boxes of alleged mail before sifting through the dumpster and covering the discarded boxes with other trash. He then retrieves another box from his van. “People’s mail, their checks, their bills,” @Mrs_Denton19 said in disbelief. “He already emptied two in the front, and now he’s going for what’s in the back.” She continued to express her concern, asking, “Please don’t tell me this is legal. Please don’t tell me this is what y’all do to get rid of mail.” The video ends with the postal worker tossing a total of five boxes into the dumpster.
Community reaction
The TikTok video quickly went viral, amassing over 50,000 views since its posting on Saturday and prompting numerous comments from outraged users. “You should also notify the business who owns that dumpster before the truck comes to pick it up. I bet he came from another route to dump it,” one user commented. Another suggested, “This is why you need to get USPS informed mail and let you know every piece of mail that’s supposed to be in your mailbox for that day.” Another user advised, “You should have called the Postal police. There is such a thing, or you should have called the local authorities. I’m just saying.”
Official response
Following the video’s viral spread, the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirmed that they are aware of the incident and have launched an investigation. The employee featured in the video has been placed on “non-duty status” pending the investigation. “The local OIG office is aware of the video posted on social media this weekend and is conducting an investigation into this matter,” the Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office (MAAFO) said. “The alleged involved Postal employee has been placed in a non-duty status.”
