A suspect has been arrested after a United States Postal Service mailbox — reportedly containing several general election ballots — was set on fire this week.
The blue, drive-up collection box located on the property of a post office at North 7th Avenue was set on fire around 1:20 a.m. local time on Thursday, Oct. 24, per NBC News and AZFamily, which cited the Phoenix Fire Department.
Approximately 20 ballots were damaged in the fire before the postal inspector took possession of the damaged mail, both outlets reported, citing Rob McDade of the PFD. The office of Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told NBC News that the number of damaged ballots was in flux.
Fontes added that “many undamaged ballots” were collected and that voters would be contacted. “Any attack that strikes at our democratic process carries criminal consequences,” Fontes, a Democrat, said in a statement to NBC News. “Ballot abuse is a felony in Arizona, and mailbox vandalism is a federal crime.”
Per NBC News, which cited a spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department, investigators obtained surveillance footage of the crime. The Phoenix Police Department and Phoenix Fire Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Thursday afternoon.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego announced on X (formerly Twitter) that a suspect was arrested thanks to an effort by police, the local fire department and “federal partners.”
“I am concerned about the recent incident at one of our post offices involving damage to several ballots,” she wrote on the platform. “There is zero tolerance for criminal activity in our community, and we are working collaboratively with every level of government to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
According to KNXV-TV, emergency crews were first called to the Osborn Station USPS around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. The outlet also noted that an unknown person fled the scene after lighting the fire. After crews extinguished the fire, KNXV reports that investigators could later be seen going through damaged mail.
Police, alongside postal inspectors and the Phoenix Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Taskforce, are performing a criminal investigation, per KNXV.
The fire and subsequent investigation come days before the last day to request a replacement ballot on Friday, Oct. 25, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer told AZFamily. Voters who used that specific mailbox in the last 36 hours are encouraged to check their ballot status online.
“This does not happen often and is rare,” a USPS spokesperson and postal inspector told the outlet, noting that postal inspectors are working with the local election commission to “ensure any affected election mail is remedied and that other mail is routed to the appropriate parties.”
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Those who believe their mail was impacted by the fire are being encouraged by the USPS to contact their local election office to “confirm receipt and identify options for tracking your ballot.”
“Postal Inspectors are immediately reviewing and addressing all complaints of impacted political or election mail,” the statement continued. “Anyone who steals, disrupts, delays or otherwise tampers with political or election mail should know that the full investigative strength of the federal government will be directed toward them, including Postal Inspectors, special agents with the USPS Office of Inspector General and Federal Bureau of Investigation, and prosecutors with the Department of Justice.”
Arizona, carrying 11 electoral votes, will play a crucial role in determining the next president. It is one of seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election and has flip-flopped between supporting Democrats and Republicans in recent years.
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