ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — The fumes, reeking of gasoline, poured from the white Kia SUV as soon as an emergency medical technician broke one of the rear windows. Inside, the body of a dark-haired young woman with a beauty mark on her left cheek reclined in the driver's seat, keys dangling from the ignition. How was it that her life had ended here, in the corner of a convenience store parking lot, less than a mile south of Newark Liberty International Airport's runways? Waiting for the vapors to clear so they could search her belongings, police noted the most obvious clue: By that night, co-workers and friends had identified her as Maria Leonor Fernandes, 32 years old and single, who worked minimum wage jobs at three nearby Dunkin' Donuts shops — often grabbing an hour or two of sleep in her car between shifts. Far beyond the Newark neighborhood where she rented a basement room with bath for $550 a month, her death became fodder for online commentary. "The death of Maria Fernandes demands a call to action," a leader of the AFSCME labor union wrote in an online editorial, days after her death. The Maria Fernandes they wanted to remember was kind, perhaps too generous, and loved to talk — so much so that a family she once lived with nicknamed her "Radio." Society has a way of looking down at people who try to make ends meet, who seek above the minimum wage. [...] she headed to a second shop, open around the clock in downtown Linden, where she worked from 10 p.m.
Comment on From job to job to job, a life lived — and lost
By ADAM GELLER, AP National Writer, San Francisco Chronicle
Sat, 10/25/2014 - 4:07pm
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