On Tuesday at 3:27am, someone got dropped off in a small white Mercedes up a few houses they seem to avoid the obvious camera we have in front of the house I rent from , he pulled on several passengers side doors but went straight to my driver side and drove off with my car ..

According to the Hyattsville police, the thief drove off with my car just minutes after breaking in, and the car was last tracked heading towards DC. I realized my car was missing while I was running late to drop my 4 year old off to pre-K around 7:50am. I called the police right away, then my insurance and the MVA, but I don’t have gap insurance or the deductible to cover the loss.

I am a 1099 contractor and rely on delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Spark Driver, and Gopuff to make ends meet. After leaving a domestic violence safe house, I was able to get certified as a phlebotomist with their support. I barely got to six months of experience when the company I was working for closed 22 centers down, including mine, and then the government shutdown happened. It has been very hard to even get a job interview since then. I turned to deliveries to support my child and myself. I had just invested in a dolly and a wagon to help with heavy deliveries because of my bad back, and my child’s belongings—including toys, her next set of uniforms, pantry items, a box of baby wipes from Costco, and her car seat—were also in the car. The car is not just my way to work—it’s how I take my child to school, daycare, and doctor appointments, and how I get to job interviews. I had to miss an interview the day my car was stolen because I was on the phone with the police and my insurance all day.

Some income is better than none, and now they stole my only means. Any donations would mean so much, and if anyone sees my car abandoned or driving on the road, please call 911 or contact me at [phone redacted]. I hope to be able to push forward in life and, one day, pay it forward to others in need. Thank you for reading and for any help you can give.