Adrian Rodriguez

The act of a teen, who found a bag full of cash and returned it to its owner after discovering it at a grocery shop, restores hope in the younger generation

It is always comforting to remember that strangers may occasionally be generous. When you consider all that’s going wrong in the world, it’s amazing how much reading a story about people being good to strangers can help restore your confidence in humanity.

Ralphs was just another stop on Eliana Martin’s routine shopping trip at the time. When she returned to her house in Chula Vista from the grocery shop, she discovered that she had forgotten to bring her wallet.

She quickly canceled all of her credit cards, as everyone advises you to do if you lose your wallet, which caused her to feel even more panicked. She withdrew her cards and then realized that she had forgotten her bag in the shopping cart she had used at the store, so she returned and did that.

Someone saw her bag, but luckily they weren’t out to steal it. When Adrian Rodriguez spotted the tote, he didn’t give the idea of keeping it a second thought.

A natural reaction for me would be to return it. It was either this or bringing it to her, and I couldn’t decide, so I brought it,” he explained.

Instead of returning it to the store, he personally gave it to Martin. While searching through her belongings, he discovered her address and subsequently visited her.

He left Martin’s belongings with a relative after ringing the doorbell and handing over his bag.

Martin recalled later being taken aback by the sight of Adrian in the ring video, standing at her door with her bag in hand, having returned it to its rightful owner.

Melina Marquez, a friend of Martin’s, was moved by his honesty, and she suggested that the two of them locate him so that they could express their thanks to him.

Both ladies went to see Rodriguez and expressed their gratitude to him. Marquez responded to his statement by telling him, “As soon as I witnessed his behaviors, I was thinking, ‘I hope my kid grows up to be exactly like him.'” I’m happy that he retained the morals and ethics his parents instilled in him.

Adrian was taken aback by their thanks and admitted that he had not actually anticipated receiving anything in exchange for his assistance. That’s when he shot back, “Truth be told, I had little hope of receiving a response. I merely gave her back her purse.”

The ladies have decided to start a GoFundMe campaign to get financial support as a reward for the young man’s excellent behavior. They had set a target to raise $1,000, but they ended up raising more than double that amount!

Brenda A. Maples
Brenda A. Maples