San Diego Teen Who Returned Purse to a Woman's Front Door Gets $17,000 Reward from Strangers

Adrian Rodriquez, 17, a resident in Chula Vista, California, found a purse left in a grocery store parking lot. He decided to drive to the owner's home and return the bag.

The young man found the green bag in a shopping cart at Ralph's parking lot in Chula Vista two weeks ago. When the young man opened the bag, he looked for identification and decided to find where the owner lived.

According to Aleteia, when he arrived at the house, the bag's owner, Eliana Martin, was not there, so he left the purse to the aunt of a former roommate of Martin. The woman thanked him for the gesture, and Adrian left. The home's ring camera was later used to track the high school graduate to show him gratitude for his honesty.

Tracking down Adrian

Martin was pleasantly surprised that her purse was returned and nothing was missing. She wanted to thank the young man but did not know anything about him. She realized the young man would have been recorded by the video camera at the house entrance when he returned the purse. She sought the help of social media to help in locating the kind teenager.

In a short time, Rodriguez was identified, and many people were so moved by his honesty that they expressed intent to reward him. To help raise the award money, Melina Marquez, Martin's friend, created a GoFundMe account to ask for donations for his reward. The initiative has now raised more than $17,000 from 764 donors, Good News Network. Org says.

On the GoFundMe Page, Marquez wrote that they believed he deserved great compensation, and many people expressed that they wanted to help, thus the fund drive. She urged everyone to share as wonderful parents raised the young man and his actions need to be known.

She added that every parent right now hopes that their children will grow up to be just like the young gentleman.

Read Also: Dylan Kuehl: First Graduate with Down Syndrome Makes History at 51-Year-Old Evergreen State College

The motivation to return the bag

Rodriguez said he woke up to messages like, "Oh, is this you? It was weird," he smirked.

When the young man was asked why he went out of his way to return the bag, the boy told NBC News that he was just doing what his mom always told him when he was little: to do the right thing when nobody is watching. He added that he honestly did not expect anything back.

The ladies invited the young man to Marquez's house so Martin, the bag owner, could say thank you in person. Rodriguez said he truly feels good and appreciates everything everybody did for him.

He said he was not sure what to do with the thank you gift but mentioned he first needed to get gas for his car.

Related Article: 16-Year-Old Mom Takes Toddler as Prom Date After Failing to Find Baby Sitter