TEEN DOES ‘RIGHT THING’ MOTHER TAUGHT HIM, RETURNS LOST PURSE
GoFundMe page, launched after many inquire about rewarding him, raises $3K
When Adrian Rodriguez, 17, found a purse June 24 with cash and credit cards on a shopping cart, he knew what to do next.
The teenager didn’t drop it off at the Chula Vista grocery store in hopes the owner would return. Instead, he searched for a home address on the driver’s license that was inside the bag and drove to the front door.
“It was just the right thing to do. If I had lost something, I’d want somebody to return my stuff,” said Rodriguez, who graduated from Otay Ranch High School a month ago.
The address led to Chula Vista resident Melina Marquez’s home but the purse belonged to her former roommate, Eliana Martin, who hadn’t updated her address since relocating. Neither were at the property, but a relative of Marquez’s received the bag after Rodriguez buzzed the Ring doorbell video camera.
“He had more than one option. He could have just kept it. He could have turned it into Ralphs because
it was a Ralphs shopping cart, and with gas being so expensive, he still brought it over here,” said Marquez. “We wanted to find him so we could give him some money.”
With footage of the teenager delivering the purse, Marquez and Martin took to social media asking people to help them identify him. Eventually, a friend of Rodriguez saw the recording and connected them.
To their surprise, however, “so many people started telling me, ‘When you find him, let me know and I’ll send you money so that you can give it to him,’” said Marquez. “I didn’t feel comfortable receiving
money from people, so I started a GoFundMe.”
Three days after launching the fundraising page on Saturday, more than 160 donations were made, totaling $3,100.
Donors have left messages saying, “You demonstrated strong moral character, Adrian. Thank you for making the world a better place,” and “Another reason I have faith in our youth! Thank you for being such a great example.”
Rodriguez has also caught the eye of the Chula Vista Police Department, who is looking to recognize him for his actions, said de