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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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A viral TikTok video that allegedly shows a Tennessee postal worker throwing bins of mail into a dumpster is sparking outrage.
The video posted to TikTok has more than 1.8 million views. The man in the video took multiple boxes of what appeared to be mail from a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and emptied the boxes into a dumpster.
"I can't make this up," the woman filming the video said. "He is dumping mail — federal mail — in the dumpster. And looking around while he's doing it. This [has got to] be a crime of some sort."
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The woman said she hoped that what the man was doing is illegal.
"Please don't tell me this is legal. Please don't tell me this is what y'all do to get rid of mail," she said.
She said the man kept looking around to make sure nobody was watching him. He also sifted through the trash at a point, concealing what he had just emptied into the dumpster. In another video on her account, she said the incident happened in the southeast region of Nashville.
The employee seen in the video was placed on non-duty status, the USPS Office of Inspector General-Mid Atlantic Area Field Office told WSMV.
The employee's name has not been released and it is unclear if he will face any charges.
"The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) is aware of the video and does not comment on open investigations," a spokesperson for USPS told Newsweek.
U.S. law states that postal service employees who "unlawfully" destroy mail could face fines or time in prison.
The USPS Office of Inspector General reported that a USPS employee in Louisiana was charged with destruction of mail on July 11.
The office alleged 36-year-old Jorry Harrison "unlawfully secreted, destroyed, detained, delayed, and opened" several pieces of mail.
If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison, three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
The Office of Inspector General also investigates incidents of mail theft, narcotics offenses, fraud and other crimes related to the postal service.
The office reported nearly 150 closed investigations in the state of Tennessee from 2022 to 2024. Other states with large numbers of investigations over the past two years include California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois.
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