PHILADELPHIA — The United States Postal Service has recovered about 20,000 pieces of mail from the garage of a Philadelphia postal carrier.

Special Agent Scott Balfour said it took three mail trucks to remove the letters from the home of an unidentified letter carrier who worked in the city's Bustleton neighborhood.

Balfour said some of the mail dates back to 1997.

Postal officials say they recovered the mail on April 28 and it was being delivered to customers this week.

Balfour wouldn't comment on what prompted the investigation but said the postal carrier hadn't been to work since February.

Balfour says postal officials are still trying to find the man so they can question him.