Police in Harding are investigating how 24 boxes shipped by Amazon ended up not on anyone’s doorstep, but dumped in the leaves off Fawn Hill Drive.

All of the packages had been “rummaged through,” said Harding Police Chief Erik Heller. Items were missing from about half of the boxes, he said.

The dumped packages were discovered last Wednesday by a resident, he said.

No arrest had been made as of Tuesday.

Heller said the packages - which, in addition to locations in Harding, had been en route to addresses in Short Hills, Livingston and possibly elsewhere - appear to have never actually made it to any of their intended destinations before being stolen.

“They were all listed as delayed, lost or not delivered,” Heller said.

It was not immediately clear if the packages were swiped from a delivery truck or a disgruntled driver tossed them there.

Ernesto Apreza, a spokesman for Amazon, said, “We are working with law enforcement as they investigate and will work with customers directly to make things right.”

Package thefts are a year-round concern, but especially amid the high volume during the holiday season.

Numerous packages were recently found along side the road. Several surrounding jurisdictions have been having packages... Posted by Harding Township Police Department on Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Heller said that police in neighboring Morris Township, for example, have received several reports of packages being stolen from doorsteps.

In announcing the dumped packages on Wednesday, the Harding Police Department issued an advisory on Facebook encouraging residents to protect deliveries during the holiday season.

Options included requiring a signature on delivery or leaving instructions for delivery in a more secure location, such as by a garage, police said.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.