Independent filmmaker Fidel Ruiz-Healy had a shock waiting for him when he returned from directing a play in New York to find his Santa Monica home burglarized and trashed by squatters. According to a KTLA report, Ruiz-Healy discovered the metal gate of his residence, typically secured, standing agape, signaling the first clue to the mayhem within.
As Ruiz-Healy told CBS News, "It's been difficult." His home was not only ransacked, but also valuables such as camera equipment and hard drives containing years of his work had been taken. In a brazen act, the intruders also stripped an essential part of the home, extracting the copper pipes and leaving Ruiz-Healy without running water.
The theft did not end with personal belongings and trade tools. Beneath the home, Ruiz-Healy found evidence of the copper pipes forcibly removed, leaving behind a tarnished skeleton of what used to support the house with life's vital fluid. KTLA's coverage highlighted an astonishing level of violence, with alcohol bottles and knives left in his bed and fresh food that suggested his home had been used as a temporary sanctuary by the invaders.
An attempt to restore some semblance of normalcy came from Ruiz-Healy's community, rallying to his aid through a GoFundMe campaign. "I’m at a loss for words. It’s just great to be part of an artistic community that is there to support you," Ruiz-Healy expressed gratitude in a statement to KTLA. Despite the material losses, which he estimates at around $40,000, his main concern now is cleaning up and starting anew.
The Santa Monica Police Department is involved, investigating the incident. The level of damage and loss has yet to yield a detailed estimate or clues as to the identity of the culprits.
