ALLEN PARK, Mich. – A close friend of the Allen Park postal worker who died at the facility said he helped pull his friend’s body from the machine, and he also slammed the company’s “toxic” culture.
Nicholas John Acker, 36, of Trenton, was was found dead in a machine at a postal facility in Allen Park. His body was discovered stuck in a machine on Nov. 8, 2025, and had reportedly been there for hours before first responders arrived.
He described the prevailing attitude at work as “the mail must move at all costs,” adding that new management has made conditions worse by pushing for more work with less staff and ignoring proper safety protocols.
“They don’t want to shut down the machines for anything,” Stiffler said. “It feels like our mail has increased. We’ve lost staffing pretty significantly.”
He said most staffing protocols haven’t been followed or enforced, and he believes Acker’s death “absolutely” could have been prevented.
Stiffler said safety has taken a backseat for some time, noting that machines built in the 1970s are now problematic due to changes in packaging. Locking out machines for safety takes time, which management resists, he said.
Though he refrained from discussing specifics that could affect the investigation, Stiffler said he helped with Acker’s body and is pushing for for a thorough examination of what happened and accountability for those responsible.
