A “stressed” driver for Amazon admitted to ditching about 80 packages undelivered in the woods just days before Christmas, according to local police in Massachusetts.

Matthew Perkins, the police chief in the tiny town of Lakeville in the southeast part of the state, said around 2 a.m. on Sunday that a sergeant was on schedule patrol when “he noticed items unattended in a wooded area.” 

After investigating the items, the officer found three totes packed of Amazon packages spread out in the woods. The spot was close to an Amazon fulfillment center.

Treasure trove:80 Amazon packages left dumped in the woods

Officers loaded the totes onto a pickup truck and returned them to the Lakeville Police Department, where they inventoried about 80 packages.

On Monday, an Amazon driver not identified by police visited the police headquarters and reported dumping the packages about 7 p.m. Saturday “because they were stressed,” police said. 

Police said they are not seeking any criminal charges, and the driver planned to update the incident to their manager. 

“I am proud of the way our Lakeville Police officers handled and investigated this matter. At this period, we are not seeking criminal charges and are considering this a human resources matter for Amazon,” Perkins said. 

Law enforcement officials said they hadn’t received any reports of stolen or missing packages. Police brought the items to the nearby fulfillment center.

Elsewhere in US, Amazon employees strike due to holiday workload

The incident comes after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters launched what it billed as the largest strike against Amazon in American history on Thursday.

The strikes are being held at Amazon warehouses in recent York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Skokie, Illinois. The Teamsters union is looking for Amazon to recognize a deal that includes higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions. 

The union noted in a release that Amazon workers without collective bargaining agreements also have the correct to integrity the picket line and withhold their labor.

Contributing: Greta Cross and Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY