Teen Who Returned A Lost Purse Receives A Hefty Reward

The odds of getting back something valuable that we have lost or misplaced in a public place are pretty slim. That’s why when Melina Marquez from California lost her purse, she knew that it would be impossible to get it back. But still, she was hopeful.

She had no idea that a teenage boy had found her handbag in the shopping cart at the supermarket. Melina didn’t find out till the teenager knocked on her door and introduced himself.

What helped the teen find the owner of the bag was something valuable stashed inside it – a driver’s license that belonged to Eliana Martin.

Melina and Martin had previously been housemates. The fact that Eliana had not yet updated her address at the time allowed the teenager to track down Melina.

Melina said, “So my aunt heard the ring go off so she opened the door and received the purse. She was a little confused.”

The whole interaction was caught by their surveillance camera. The teenager was explaining to the person at the door that he had found the bag “in the parking lot” and was just giving it back to its rightful owner. After giving back the bag, he got in his car and left.

She was happy that she got her bag back but Melina felt bad because she was not even able to thank the teenager personally for his kindness and honesty.

Melina said, “So I asked my aunt, I said ‘Did you get his name or did you at least give him 20 bucks?’ And she’s like ‘No, I didn’t know!’”

Melina felt sure she had to find this person because what he did was an act of honesty and kindness that does not happen very often. So, she uploaded the surveillance video of the teen on a number of social media sites. Melina was hopeful that their efforts would help the gentleman who brought her purse back.

And of course, the Internet didn’t disappoint. Surprisingly, people in San Diego started spreading the story about and sharing Melina’s post. And it quickly went viral. That’s when Melina finally met 17-year-old Adrian Rodriguez.

Rodriguez introduced himself and said that he was the one on the video. He was the one who returned her purse. Out of curiosity, Melina had to ask why he decided to return it. And what he said touched her.

Adrian responded: “My mom has told me since I was little to always do the right thing even when no one’s watching.” He also said that if he is the one who lost something, he would hope that someone would also find a way to get it back to him.

Melina said, “He could’ve just taken whatever was in the purse, you know. And he didn’t. He brought it back and I think this just speaks a lot about him.”

Community members and online users who learned about the young man’s actions reached out to express their desire to compensate him. That’s when Melina decided to start a fundraising effort to provide Adrian with the reward that he deserved.

The campaign’s goal was set at $1000. Melina did not expect that this raised a total of $14,815!

The monetary reward and the attention that Adrian Rodriguez received are well-deserved. Hopefully, there are more people like him in this world.