Felix Bocchicchio is being credited for saving the life of a customer on his route when he noticed she hadn't picked up her mail in three days.
Felix Bocchicchio (Submitted photo) MOUNT EPHRAIM -- Felix Bocchicchio was just doing his job. At least that's what he says, but for one customer on his route his job ended up saving her life.
Bocchicchio is a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Postal Service, delivering mail in the Mount Ephraim area for the past 13. He's gotten to know a lot of the people on his route. He knows when they're home, when they're on vacation, or when something is wrong, and last December knowing his customers really came in handy.
There is a 93-year-old woman he was used to seeing each day, or at least who was very attentive to picking up her mail at her Cleveland Avenue home. After seeing a few days of mail left in her mailbox, he began to get worried.
"I was nervous. I was knocking on the door," he said.
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But he spoke to a neighbor who said everything looked OK and that the woman had received flowers earlier that day. The next day, however, the mail still wasn't picked up.
"I knew something was wrong," Bocchicchio said. "I looked in and could see she had fallen and wasn't moving."
He got the attention of the neighbor again, who had a key to the woman's house, but the doors were dead bolted. He called 9-1-1.
"Once the EMTs were there and I saw that she was talking, I let them do their thing," Bocchicchio added.
His customer was severely dehydrated and incoherent, but after two months in rehab was able to return home and collect her mail again.
Now, nearly nine months later, Bocchicchio is getting a lot of recognition for his attentiveness and caring as the Post Office recognizes him. A Facebook post on the USPS's page has garnered nearly 13,000 likes, 1,500 shares and more than 600 comments on the social media site as of Friday afternoon, and Bocchicchio has been fielding calls all day.
"I didn't do it for recognition. I just knew something was wrong," he said. "The hug and smile when she came home was great. I'm glad I was able to be there to help."
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@southjerseymedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
