Letter carrier, 63, dies hours after taking punch to face in argument over parking spot: report

A Postal Service worker in Fresno, Calif., died this week just hours after taking a punch to his face in an argument over a parking spot, the county sheriff’s office said.

A U.S. Postal Service worker in Fresno, Calif., died this week just hours after taking a punch to his face in an argument over a parking spot, the county sheriff’s office said Thursday.

Fernando Santoya, 63, a rural route mail carrier, had gotten into an argument with a work crew around noon Tuesday on a block east of Kearney Park, said sheriff’s office spokesman Tony Botti. Officials told Fresno's KSEE-TV the men had been hired to perform work on a home.

Witnesses told police Santoya became upset because the workers had parked in front of a mailbox on his route. The workers moved their vehicle, but an argument ensued. Santoya then tried to punch one of the workers, the Fresno Bee reported.

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The man allegedly reciprocated by punching Santoya in the face, sending the letter carrier stumbling backward as he collapsed, Botti said.

“The workers noticed he was no longer breathing, so one of them began CPR on Santoya while another worker placed a 911 call. Deputies and EMS personnel arrived and arranged for Santoya to be transported to the hospital.”

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Santoya died later that night. The results of an autopsy Thursday were pending. Detectives said the workers on the scene were cooperative. No arrests have been made.