Queens Native Living In Car With Fiancée On L.I. After Moving Back To New York

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A Queens native seeking a higher education and a better life with his fiancée has fallen on some hard times.

Jeremy Cumberbatch and Nyiefa Leitzsey, both 21, have been living in their car in a Massapequa parking lot since moving up from Macon, GA last August.

"For us it just turned bad," Cumberbatch told 1010 WINS. "…We came up here for a purpose, we had a plan and just about everything that we planned fell through."

Cumberbatch said he is working at Macy's and his fiancée works at Panera in East Farmingdale but they can't seem to make ends meet.

When they have money, they try to stay in hotel rooms for as long as possible, but for the most part they call their car home.

Over the past few months the couple's situation has gone from bad to worse.

Cumberbatch said he has been sick with the flu at least 30 times, nearly died from a bout with pneumonia and was denied help from Social Services.

The couple's car was damaged after being rear-ended by an uninsured driver. Following the collision, someone broke into their vehicle and stole Cumberbatch's Jack Russell Terrier.

"That was like my only friend besides my fiancée," Cumberbatch said.

His laptop was also stolen. The car is now inoperable.

"I just hope that I could find some help," Cumberbatch said. "Maybe somebody will have a heart enough to maybe rent us a place but we're not asking for anything we'd be willing to pay rent, maybe we'd get a new car."

Cumberbatch says he hopes to get back on his feet and to ultimately get a nursing degree which will help fund him through law school.

Even after all his struggles, Cumberbatch says moving back to Georgia is not an option. He said he does not want to give in and take the easy road now.