CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) — A Carlsbad teacher is asking for the community's help after her car was stolen and taken to Mexico.
It was always Florina Fernandez's dream to live in San Diego.
"About two months ago, I was hired to teach at La Costa High School. I was super excited," she said.
But, that would soon change.
Fernandez said last week as she left her apartment in Mira Mesa to go to work, she realized her 2021 Honda Civic was missing.
"[I] started to freak out a little bit," she said.
Fernandez was able to track her MacBook left in the car to Tijuana, Mexico.
She filed a police report immediately, she said there was nothing police could do at the moment since it was across the border.
Fernandez added her car has a LoJack system, which notifies police when a car has been stolen.
"They just send a radar to the police but as my car's in Mexico, they can't track it and I have both my keys so I'm honestly not sure how they did it," she said.
Since she does not have comprehensive insurance, her insurance will not cover the costs so she's still responsible for paying down a $19,000 loan.
Fernandez said with living expenses high and a fixed income, money is already tight.
"I do live by my budget and I live by my means. At the moment, I can't afford to take out another car payment or even a loan since I still have a $19,000 loan out," she said.
However, Fernandez remains positive. She started a GoFundMe to help pay for the car.
She said she's already received an outpour of support.
"Just the amount of support has been overwhelming and that's what I'm grateful for," Fernandez said.
