GoFundMe Raises Over $35K for Elderly Cambodian Man After SUV Burned in Oakland

May 17, 2021

A Cambodian senior, whose car was destroyed by unknown assailants in Oakland, Calif., in March, recently received a new car after a longtime friend raised over $35,000 for him through GoFundMe.

Engulfed in flames: Nhep Chheng and his Chinese neighbor, who are in their 70s and 60s, respectively, found their vehicles on fire at around 3:30 a.m. on March 27, NextShark previously reported.

Chheng’s two-year-old white Toyota SUV was parked directly in front of his neighbor’s vehicle. Both cars were heavily damaged and charred by the flames.
Being the only Asian households along the road, Chheng and his neighbor believe they were targeted due to their race.
The Oakland Fire Department said there wasn’t any evidence to confirm foul play.

A community responds: Larry Giang, a longtime friend of Chheng, helped set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for buying a new vehicle and covering other expenses.

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Giang, who has known Chheng for seven years, revealed that the victim traveled from Cambodia to the United States over 20 years ago “with nothing and started from scratch.”
The campaign has surpassed its $30,000 goal, raising a total of $35,329 as of this writing.
Reporter Dion Lim shared on Twitter that Chheng has used part of this amount to purchase a new car.

Featured Image via Dion Lim

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