A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help Santa Monica cinematographer Fidel Ruiz-Healy after his home was ransacked and rendered unlivable while he was out of town on a work strip.
The fundraising effort, launched September 16, describes how Ruiz-Healy came home to find every crevice turned over and all of his valuables stolen while items were left behind in his bedroom including trash and weapons. The squatters had also cut plumbing pipes and electrical wires.
The theft is particularly devastating for Ruiz-Healy, who his friends described as an "incredibly talented, award winning cinematographer, director, editor, a filmmaker jack of all trades." His equipment serves as his primary source of income, and the stolen items included not only his own cameras but also collaborators' equipment he was storing. Making matters worse, insurance coverage on the valuable equipment had lapsed on August 30, just weeks before the break-in.
Ruiz-Healy had been in New York for just over a week, working with the Juilliard School's drama department directing film projects. When his friend dropped him off at his Santa Monica home around 11 p.m. on September 16, he immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Upon pulling into the backyard, I noticed that the back gate was open. I noticed that the shed was open and a lot of things are missing from there," Ruiz-Healy said. "I walked towards the back entrance to the house, I noticed that the window screen was off and the doors and the gates were open."
Inside, he discovered the full extent of the damage. "When I went into the house, I saw that the whole place was trashed, ransacked. Every corner turned upside down, anything of value was obviously taken," he said.
Most disturbing was what he found in his bedroom, which had been converted into what he described as "a little squatters den." The intruders had left behind knives in the bed, marijuana, and food scattered throughout the room, suggesting they had been living in the house for an extended period.
The level of destruction went beyond typical burglary. The squatters had deliberately sabotaged the home's infrastructure, cutting pipes in the crawl space underneath the elevated house and shutting off the water. "Somebody knew what they were doing," Ruiz-Healy said.
While Ruiz-Healy had previously noticed minor signs of attempted break-ins—damaged car locks and a broken front gate lock—nothing had prepared him for this level of invasion. Though he had maintained friendly relationships with homeless individuals in the area and tried to help when possible, this incident was "something different."
The psychological impact has been significant. He said the experience had been very traumatic and has left him looking over your shoulder and getting a little jumpy of noises after having his life turned upside down.
While losing the property is tough, especially as it’s necessary for his employment, the loss of the creative assets is particularly devastating. Ruiz-Healy said several of the hard drives taken contain projects and creative works that are only valuable to him and he’d particularly like to get those items back if possible.
Despite the loss, Ruiz-Healy has been overwhelmed by support from the filmmaking community. "The outpour of support has been beyond anything I could have ever imagined," he said. "Everyone's ready to jump in and support and just make sure that you know the work and the process can keep going."
Fellow filmmakers have offered to lend equipment for upcoming projects, demonstrating the tight-knit nature of the artistic community Ruiz-Healy has cultivated throughout his career.
Police responded to the scene, though Ruiz-Healy had to wait to document the full damage until investigators completed their work. He plans to update the police report with serial numbers he has tracked down, hoping to recover equipment and especially the irreplaceable hard drives containing his creative work.
"We'd love to get some equipment back. Would love to, more than anything, would just so love to get like hard drives and more like things that have, the things that can't be replaced," he said.
The GoFundMe emphasizes that Ruiz-Healy remains available for film work while figuring out his living situation, noting that any contribution would help during this challenging time.
For more information or to donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-fidel-after-home-robbery or https://www.fidelruizhealy.com/