Single Moms Driveway Is Stolen in Broad Daylight - Then a Stranger Makes an Offer She Cant Refuse
When Amanda Brochu received a ring doorbell notification on her phone, the last thing she expected to see was her driveway being "stolen" in broad daylight.The victim of a bizarre property scam, the single mom not only found herself suddenly driveway-less BUT ALSO on the hook for thousands of dollars to replace it. That is until a stranger stepped in and paved the way to renewing her faith (and ours!) in humanity. The Strange Case of the Stolen DrivewayAccording to Amanda, it all started about a week after she put her house up for sale in Orange County, Florida. Unsolicited contractors began calling her and showing up at her house, asking to measure her driveway so they could quote her the cost of replacing it.Confused, she told them she wasn't interested. But they just kept coming. By the fifth contractor, Amanda was really starting to question what was going on. When she confronted one of them she discovered that a man named "Andre" was posing as her landlord (which was impossible as Amanda owns the home) and had requested an estimate for a new driveway via text.When the now-suspicious contractor, Luiz, asked Andre for proof of ownership and payment up front, he was ghosted.However, Andre wasn't the only one who disappeared. A week later, Amanda's entire driveway did too. "While I was preparing to head out of town for my birthday and Christmas with my kids, I received a ring doorbell notification that someone was outside of my house, ripping up my driveway before my eyes," Amanda wrote on her GoFundMe page. "By the time, the cops got there the company that was tearing up my driveway had already completed the job and left my driveway with only dirt."And Amanda was left with a hefty estimate to replace it to the tune of $10,000. Already under contract on another house, it was money she didn't have. How One Stranger Restored a Single Mom’s Faith in HumanityWith the help of her real estate agent, Rocki Sanchez, Amanda created a GoFundMe campaign to try to raise money to pay for a new driveway. "The cost to replace the driveway is astronomical and I’m seeking some sort of help so I don’t lose the opportunity to purchase my forever home that my kids have already fell in love with. Thank you to anyone that can help and anything helps!" Amanda wrote.The bizarre case of the missing driveway quickly went viral, making headlines nationwide. Because...weird.And while 375 people donated more than $13,500, it was one man, retired U.S. military veteran, Mikol Rowland, who truly saved the day.Now the owner of his own concrete company, MM Concrete Specialty, Mikol was shocked when he found out what happened. He offered to replace Amanda's driveway for free. "Somebody was in need of something that we could offer," Mikol said. "We could bring some good into the world with it, so there was no question about it."In the end he estimated that the work cost his company approximately $4,000. But for Amanda? It was worth so much more.As for that stolen driveway? It turns out its not so bizarre after all. Rocki Sanchez posted about the missing driveway in a Facebook group for realtors and found out that Amanda isn't the only victim of the property scam.“I had multiple people come forward saying that they’ve seen things like this happen — whether it be driveways, roofs, painting, even outside the exterior. So it happens more often than we actually see it,” Rocki told WFTV.Single Mom Pays It ForwardAmanda was so grateful for Mikol's help that she decided to pay it forward. She disabled the GoFundMe campaign and donated the proceeds to The Russell Home — an Orlando-area nonprofit that provides housing and care for infants, children, and adults with severe disabilities.Mikol couldn't be more thrilled. "I would do it all over again. Ten times, if I could help the kids," he said. "It's just a win-win-win for everybody, and it feels good to hear a good story out in the news."What started out as a horrible act against someone turned into a heartwarming act of service and became the foundation for even more goodness. Just by helping one person with the skills and means that he could offer, Mikol ended up having a much greater impact than he could have imagined and made a difference not only in Amanda's life but the lives of so many others in his community as well. More from Goalcast: Man Finds Out a Thief Has Broken Into and Stolen From His Restaurant – His Unexpected Reaction Goes Viral Woman Finds Out Her Car Is Repeatedly Being Stolen – So She Leaves the Thieves This ‘Snarky’ Note in the Glovebox Bullied Boy Loses Hope After a Priceless Gift From His Grandmother Is Stolen – But His Best Friends Feel Otherwise
