Accidentally found someone's iPhone and wanted to give it back to the owner. What do I do?

Yesterday I found an iPhone 7 when I was on my way home. The phone was just lying on the ground before I picked it up. There were scratches everywhere, however, the phone itself looks pretty new, just as if someone purchased it recently but wasn't careful enough. I turned it on, but there was absolutely nothing - no details and no information about the owner. The phone needed activation and it seemed so strange because it usually requires activation after you've purchased and unboxed it. I want to give it back to the owner, but I have no idea how to do that simply because there's absolutely no information related to the owner. What do I do? And why would someone just leave the phone like this lying on the ground? By the way, I found the phone after midnight (it was really dark) and I felt like someone was watching me. Truly uncomfortable. The whole thing is so strange.

Police, give to police. May all be free from schools and university right now and never go back.

Go to the police. You're one of the reasons who makes life worthy.

Hi so hand it in to the local police station.

Do it.

If you can get to the contacts look for ICE (In case of emergency) and call one of them. If you can;t get any display at all or it is totally locked take it to any cell phone kiosk for THAT CELL phone provider. The cell phone should list the provider on the case. They can then retrieve the owners info from the phone.

Turn it in at a police station or a phone store.

If you leave your name and contact info,
you might get to keep the phone if it isn't claimed within a certain period of time.

Could take it to the police to let them deal with it.

Call the carrier and give them the IMEI number and they can look up whoever used it last

Bring it to a business that sells phones and phone services and have them find the owner. Since they don't know you it would be a little sketchy to meet you to get their phone back but if a business called them they could simply go there a pick it up from them.

If there's no information from there then go to the police, they can help you find out who is the owner of that phone.