Two FedEx delivery drivers were assaulted and robbed while delivering packages in Anne Arundel County on Friday, according to Anne Arundel County Police.

On Sept. 12 approximately 2:25 p.m., police went to the 7900 block of Carriage Drive in Severn, where a 51-year-old male FedEx delivery driver was approached by two men who threw him to the ground and stole packages. The men drove off in a silver sedan while the victim sustained minor injuries from the assault.

Later in the day, approximately 5:40 p.m., officers were called to the 7500 block of Holly Ridge Drive in Glen Burnie after a 34-year-old FedEx driver said they were assaulted while delivering packages to a residence. A person suspected of stealing packages from the porch of the residence fled to the rear of a dark-colored sedan.

“There is nothing to conclusively say that the Glen Burnie incident is related to the one in Severn, but they’re not ruling it out,” a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department said in a statement. “Detectives are not ruling out the possibility that this could be part of a larger trend.”

Reports of package theft have increased in recent years. From 2021 to 2022, the share of packages stolen nationwide increased 25%, according to Capital One Shopping Research. One in five people in Maryland had a package stolen in the last year, according to Capital One.

To prevent porch robberies, FedEx suggests redirecting packages to retail locations, instructing delivery drivers to put packages in a discreet location and placing a hold on deliveries when out of town.