Family demands answers after postal worker killed in Allen Park mail machine

ALLEN PARK, Mich. – A worker was found dead in a machine at a postal facility in Allen Park after he failed to return home from work, leaving his family desperate for answers.

Nicholas John Acker, 36, of Trenton, was found stuck in a machine Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, and had been dead for hours before firefighters arrived, according to authorities.

His fiancée and loved ones are seeking clarity on how he ended up inside the machine and how long he was actually there before being found.

As the investigation continues, here’s everything we’ve learned so far:

Man’s body found stuck in machine

Acker was found stuck in a machine on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at the USPS Detroit Network Distribution Center in Allen Park.

The center is a mail processing facility with many large machines.

Acker worked the midnight shift as a mechanic at the facility and had been working there for about a year.

Fiancée goes to facility after man fails to return home from work

Over the weekend, Acker’s fiancée, Stephanie Jaszcz, said she began to panic when he didn’t return home from his shift and didn’t answer her calls or texts.

“So I went up there, went to the fence and the intercom, and I was talking to some girl, and I was, like, ‘Listen, not to sound crazy, but my fiancé is missing,’” Jaszcz said.

Jaszcz said she waited by the gate for an hour.

“She tells me he never punched out and they’re looking for him,” Jaszcz said. “All of a sudden, an ambulance, a fire truck, cop cars are all coming in. No one will let me through the gate. No one will talk to me.”

Two more hours after that, she was told Acker was dead.

“I dropped to my knees, crying, and then stood up because the gate was opening and I ran through that gate,” Jaszcz said.

Couple had been engaged for 10 days

Acker and Jaszcz had been engaged for just 10 days.

They were planning to get married in the spring, and Jaszcz said she was going to go wedding dress shopping next week.

“I had my entire life in my hand,” Jaszcz said. “Like, the entire thing. And gone.”

She described Acker, who served nine years in the Air Force, as a generous, thoughtful person. She said he was willing to give others his time and make them feel seen.

“He was just one of those kinds of people whose sweetness and thoughtfulness weren’t just traits, they were just his way of life,” Jaszcz said. “He was very generous. It wasn’t always just gifts and gestures. It was always his time and his heart. He made everyone feel valid and seen.”

–> Click here to visit the GoFundMe page.

Body was in machine for hours, police say

Jaszcz told Local 4 that she still hasn’t gotten any information about what happened to Acker.

“All they know is that he was in a machine,” Jaszcz said. “They don’t know how, when or for how long. The autopsy is going to take 4-6 months. We’re living a nightmare.”

Jaszcz said nobody seems to know how Acker got in the machine.

“We want to know what happened and how long he was there,” Jaszcz said. “That’s what we want to know. We want to know how he even ended up there and why doesn’t anybody know where he was at?”

Police said Acker had been dead for 6-8 hours before firefighters arrived at the facility. Authorities are calling his death “accidental,” and are continuing to investigate.

USPS statement

On Monday, Nov. 10, the USPS released the following statement:

“The United States Postal Service is deeply saddened by the loss of our employee at the Detroit Network Distribution Center (NDC) in Allen Park, MI. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. The NDC is fully operational, at this time.”

United States Postal Service

Fiancée calls USPS’ response ‘gross, inhumane’

“‘The mail’s still moving’? Gross,” Jaszcz said. “A man gone. A veteran. A husband. A human being. And all you can think of is mail keeps moving? Inhumane. It’s gross.”

Local 4 has reached out to state and federal agencies, along with the USPS, for more information, but hasn’t received any responses yet.

Jaszcz also said Acker had mentioned concerns about the way the facility was run, and current employees have expressed similar feelings to Local 4.

We also reached out to USPS for comment about these allegations, but have not yet heard back.

Our coverage of this story