This holiday could have stink, stank, stunk.
An Amazon delivery driver ditched dozens of packages on the side of a Massachusetts road just days before the holidays — and the Grinch later told cops they did it because they were “stressed.”
A sergeant in Lakeville — about an hour south of Boston — stumbled upon the cache of packages discarded in the woods while out on patrol around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, Lakeville Police said in a statement.
The bounty was neatly stacked in three Amazon delivery totes, and when they were brought down to the police station, officers counted at least 80 packages.
Baffled, and with no reports of any packages being stolen, officers notified a local Amazon distribution center and handed over the items.
But on Monday, an Amazon delivery driver showed up at the station and owned up to dumping the packages during their Saturday evening shift — and told police they did it because of stress.
“At this time, we are not seeking criminal charges and are considering this a human resources matter for Amazon,” Chief Matthew Perkins said in the statement, adding that the unidentified driver was going to report the infraction to their manager.
“I would like to commend Sgt. Shawn Robert for his discovery of these unattended packages while on routine patrol,” he added.
“Sgt. Robert likely saved a Christmas headache for many local residents by noticing these totes and getting them back to Amazon, hopefully in time for a holiday delivery.”
Though the incident was resolved for Lakeville Amazon customers, others across the country have been affected by a nationwide strike of Amazon warehouse workers in the heart of the holiday season.
On Thursday Amazon workers walked out and picketed warehouses in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco, and Skokie, Illinois.
Hundreds of Amazon Fulfillment Centers have also been picketed nationwide, in what the Teamsters union has called the largest e-commerce protests within a week of Christmas.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters general president Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.
The Teamsters have demanded Amazon open collective bargaining agreement negotiations with them. Amazon, meanwhile, has claimed the Teamsters coerced many of its employees to join their ranks.
“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally misled the public — claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.’ They don’t,” an Amazon spokesperson said, adding that the Teamsters “have actively threatened, intimidated” employees into joining.
