The turkeys in question, menacing a different part of the street.

The jerky turkeys, menacing a different part of the street. (Screenshot: PIX11)

A New Jersey postal worker’s route was interrupted this past Tuesday when he was trapped in his truck by a gang of rowdy turkeys.

The mailman was on Esplanade Drive in Hillsdale when about fifteen of the birds surrounded his truck. Eventually, according to PIX11, “two [police] officers were dispatched to the chaotic scene and managed to scare away the turkeys by simply walking toward them.”

The victim has requested anonymity, says NorthJersey.com. (A USPS spokesman adds that revealing his identity “would not be in the best interest of the Postal Service.”) He had to skip three houses due to the intimidating birds, but made sure to circle back around to them later.

An ordinary mail truck–now a turkey target?

An ordinary mail truck–now a turkey target? (Photo: Kevin Payravi/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)

Other Hillsdale residents say turkeys have been roughing up the neighborhood for a while, ever since the nearby wetlands were developed over. “They have nowhere to go,” longtime Hillsdaler Marisa Cefali, who occasionally finds one on her husband’s car, told PIX11. “It’s a shame.”

In related news, the Associated Press reports that “a number of small bats” have staged a similar shutdown operation at the Good Shepherd Medical Center in Kilgore, Texas, moving into the hospital’s free-standing emergency room and preventing ambulances from coming in. Stay tuned for more updates on wildlife’s sudden war against American infrastructure.

Every day, we track down a fleeting wonder—something amazing that’s only happening right now. Have a tip for us? Tell us about it! Send your temporary miracles to cara@atlasobscura.com.