It wasn't a dog, but instead was two masked muggers who chased a New Jersey mail carrier through a neighborhood, knocking him to the ground and shaking him in the span of 30 seconds — all because they were after something in particular.
A home camera not only captured the screams for help from the incident on Walnut Avenue in Millburn on May 13, but also showed the pair of suspected thieves roughing up the mailman. The letter carrier repeatedly called for his iPhone to call 911 as the duo swiped a set of keys, he said.
The attack went down outside of Lenny Weiland's home, with the mailman telling him that the robbers had been following him along his route.
"They were watching. They knew exactly what he was doing. As a matter of fact, the postal worker who was attacked, it was his second day on the job," said Weiland.
The US Postal Inspection Service will only say it is investigating the attack. While on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, the mailman said the suspects stole his keys — including one that’s used to open mailboxes in apartment buildings.
Weiland later watched video of the attack, and believes the suspects hid between a dumpster and storage unit.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
"So the first approach, attack happened here. And then they went around as you saw in the video," said Weiland.
News
Police still looking for the suspects last seen wearing masks and hoodies. Weiland meanwhile hopes that going public with the video will help cops make an arrest.
"I am keeping an eye on the neighborhood. I’m that kind of person. I want to make sure everyone is safe," said Weiland.
Video showed the suspected robbers run to a get away car, possibly a silver Mercedes-Benz.
The postal worker suffered minor injuries. Both Millburn police and the Postal Inspection Service continue to investigate.
