ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Four Michigan lawmakers are now demanding answers from an Allen Park postal facility after a worker’s body was found stuck in a machine hours after his death.
Nick Acker, 36, of Trenton, was found dead Nov. 8, 2025, in a machine at the USPS Detroit Network Distribution Center in Allen Park.
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Firefighters said Acker’s body had been in the machine for 6-8 hours before they arrived.
Acker’s fiancée told Local 4 that she’s been looking for answers since his death.
“We want to know what happened and how long he was there,” his fiancée, Stephanie 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?”
Acker, an Air Force veteran, had been working at the facility as a mechanic for about a year.
His friend and coworker, Matthew Stiffler, claims the facility operates under a climate of “mail must move at all costs.”
Stiffler is a postal maintenance mechanic and the union rep. He said production is prioritized over safety.
“All of our tasks, they don’t want to shut down the machines for anything,” said Stiffler. “That’s the culture. That’s the message.”
In the days following Acker’s death, Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell and Rep. Rashida Tlaib sent a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner demanding answers.
“We are requesting answers to questions that have arisen from this unnecessary tragedy,” Dingell and Tlaib wrote. “We worry what it means for the workers that officials were not called to the scene until hours after Nicholas died. Further, we are concerned how long Nicholas was in the machine before he was found and whether the machine was operating or turned off.”
On Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, Michigan senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin joined Dingell and Tlaib with a letter of their own.
“We are deeply concerned about Mr. Acker’s death and the length of time it took to both determine he was missing and locate his body after the accident,” the letter says. “This incident also raises broader questions about USPS policies regarding routine practices and workplace safety within USPS facilities.”
They requested answers to 15 questions by Dec. 12, 2025.
You can read the full letter below.