“17-Year-Old Boy Finds Lost Purse and Returns It—A Beautiful Reminder That Kindness Still Exists!”
Teen With a Heart of Gold Returns Lost Purse, Inspires Faith in Humanity
When 17-year-old Adrian Rodriguez stumbled upon a lost purse at a Ralph’s store in Chula Vista, California, he had every opportunity to take the easy way out. He could’ve handed it off to customer service. He could’ve posted about it online and moved on. Or, like many might sadly do, he could’ve ignored it altogether.
But Adrian did something extraordinary instead—he went the extra mile (literally) to return it himself.
Inside the purse, he found a driver’s license and decided to personally deliver it to the address listed. What he didn’t know was that Eliana Martin, the purse’s owner, had moved out of that residence. Still, that didn’t stop him. Adrian left the bag with a family member of Melina Marquez, Eliana’s best friend and former roommate.
When Melina returned home and checked the Ring doorbell footage, she was deeply moved by Adrian’s kind gesture. She knew this moment of honesty deserved to be celebrated. Thanks to a little social media sleuthing, Melina tracked Adrian down and arranged a meet-up with him and Eliana so they could personally thank the young man for his integrity.
But that wasn’t all—they also set up a GoFundMe page to show their appreciation. What started as a simple act of kindness turned into a wave of generosity, with nearly 700 donors contributing over $15,000 to honor Adrian’s selflessness.
Adrian, who never expected recognition or reward, humbly said,
“My mom always told me since I was little to always do the right thing when nobody’s around.”
Eliana was, of course, thrilled to get her purse back—but the real gift was meeting someone like Adrian.
“This is something that we really need. It’s good news, positive news,” said Melina.
And she’s right. At a time when the world feels heavy, stories like Adrian’s remind us that goodness still thrives—and that one simple act of doing the right thing can inspire thousands.
Well done, Adrian. The world needs more young men like you. And shoutout to your mom—you clearly learned from the best.
“They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty.” – 2 Kings 12:15
