On December 30, 2025, at approximately 4:56 PM, Officer Hauke with the Rochester Police Department responded to a reported mail theft occurring at an apartment complex located in Rochester, Olmsted County, Minnesota. He spoke with an adult female, fully identified in police reports (hereinafter “Manager”), who stated mail had been stolen from the apartment’s mail room on December 23, 2025, and December 25, 2025. On December 23, 2025, at approximately 9:49 PM, an unidentified male suspect arrived at the apartment’s package locker room in a white van.
The van had no distinguishing marks on it. The male removed eight packages that delivery drivers left on the package room floor. Due to the holiday rush, delivery drivers had not checked the packages into the system, which delayed the discovery of the theft. Manager stated the same suspect returned on December 25, 2025, at approximately 12:51 AM and stole two or three additional packages. The suspect drove the same van and appeared to use an object to manipulate the door. Officer Hauke reviewed surveillance footage of both incidents.
On December 23, 2025, a white cargo van arrived at approximately 9:48 PM. A white male exited the van wearing a light blue sweatshirt, jeans, and gray shoes. The sweatshirt bore the phrase “who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” The male wore the hood up on the sweatshirt, making it difficult to see his face. The male held something up to the door before he opened the door and entered the package room. The male walked in and out of the room multiple times, then reparked the van at approximately 9:52 PM. After he reparked the van, the male grabbed several packages from the room and placed them in the van.
As the male loaded the packages into the van, a second individual walked up to the van and entered the passenger seat of the van. On December 25, 2025, the same van parked outside the package room at approximately 12:51 AM. A male who appeared to be the same suspect as the driver of the van on December 23 exited the van and approached the door. He pulled open the door without appearing to force it open. The suspect grabbed three packages and placed them inside the van. Various residents of the apartment complex spoke with officers with the Rochester Police Department to report their packages as stolen.
On December 31, 2025, Detective Bartsch with the Rochester Police Department was assigned to this case for further investigation. In his review, he learned that on December 1, 2025, Officer Turner with the Rochester Police Department was dispatched to a burglary and motor vehicle theft at a storage unit located in Rochester, Olmsted County, Minnesota. Upon his arrival, he discovered a transit van had been stolen out of a storage garage. The van was identical to the van used in the mail theft on December 26, 3 55-CR-26-102 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 1/6/2026 2025. The suspect who stole the van had arrived in a white Mazda, and the suspect was wearing a black puffy jacket and what appeared to be snowpants.
