- Andres Benitez and his family had their truck stolen on Wednesday during a police chase.
- Benitez, who purchased the new truck three weeks ago, said it was used for their family landscaping business.
A California family raised more than $90,000 on GoFundMe after their pickup truck was stolen during a police chase that aired on live TV.
"I'm so thankful and at the same time surprised," Antonio Benitez told Fox 11. "I'm so thankful because that's my whole family's business right there."
Andres Benitez told Fox 11 that Johnny Anchondo, 32, who was being chased by police officers on Wednesday, broke into his family home and stole the keys to his family truck, and drove off.
"Once I saw him start the truck, I knew it was over, and it broke my heart," Benitez told Fox 11.
The police chase with Anchondo was aired live on Fox 11 and stretched out to 2 counties.
According to the fundraiser, Benitez purchased the pickup truck three weeks ago for his family's landscaping business, and during the chase, Anchondo stole the vehicle with their landscaping equipment inside.
According to NBC Los Angeles, Anchondo was arrested, but the truck sustained heavy damage from the chase.
At the time of writing, the family had raised over $90,000 on GoFundMe, according to the fundraiser.
In an update on the fundraiser webpage, Benitez said police informed him that his family truck was taken in as evidence because the vehicle had been shot at by officers, and would most likely not have access to the equipment until the case is over.
On Friday, Benitez thanked those who supported him and his family on Instagram.
"Last thing that came to my mind was having a bunch of people, strangers, I never even met come and offer so much help. It is truly amazing. Like people offering their work truck people offering themselves to come and help, offering their equipment," Benitez said on Instagram. "And it really touches my heart knowing that there's a good amount of people out there who really do like helping the community out. It just shows faith."