BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A Kern County social media influencer is picking up the pieces after thieves broke into her car and stole thousands of dollars worth of professional equipment — and the community she has spent years supporting is now rallying behind her.
Mariela Orozco has 2 million followers on TikTok and thousands more on Instagram. She began her career working in the fields before becoming an influencer in 2020, using her platform to help small business owners who are just starting out or struggling to grow.
"People reach out to me and I try to find a way to help them," Orozco said.
Her work takes her beyond Kern County, with travel to Arizona, Nevada and Oregon to support businesses across the region.
On Sunday, May 31, what was supposed to be a fun night out with friends after work turned into a devastating discovery.
"Let's take an Uber... I said ok. Like I mentioned I've never had any issues here. We came back 3-4 hours later from the casino, and I found my car with broken windows and all my stuff was gone," Orozco said.
Among the stolen items were 2 cameras — including one she purchased just a couple of months ago for $5,000 — a drone, a microphone, a tripod and a backpack.
"They stole 2 cameras, a drone, microphone, a tripod, my backpack... they stole so much," Orozco said. "I did the estimate and about $7,000-$7,500."
Orozco posted a video on social media explaining what happened. Many of the business owners she has helped over the years are now returning the favor.
Lisandra Gomez, owner of Glow Bowls Acai & Boba, was one of them. She first reached out to Orozco 3 years ago when she opened her business.
"I saw that she did the videos for the businesses, and I had just opened. So I definitely needed some help with that on the marketing end," Gomez said.
Gomez has watched her business grow since working with Orozco.
"So we definitely get a lot of people that come in and they see the video and then they want to come in," Gomez said.
Now, Gomez is working to help Orozco financially.
"We were all very devastated because I saw how sad she was. So I was constantly just checking on her because I know that she worked so hard for all her stuff, so just to see that everything was gone was very devastating," Gomez said.
"Obviously, she needs her equipment to work. That's literally her livelihood. Like, that's where she makes a living," Gomez said.
Despite the loss, Orozco says the outpouring of support from her family, friends and followers has given her the strength to keep going.
"That gave me more motivation to keep going and that my journey doesn't stop here," Orozco said.
Orozco has also created a GoFundMe page to help get new equipment.
Bakersfield Police say the case is currently open and active.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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