Letter To The Editor: Westfield Natives Seek Help To License Archive Footage For Documentary

Submitted by Andrew Ruotolo:

20 years ago this August, Hillside, NJ’s Frank Balun, a grandfather and decorated WWII veteran, trapped and killed a rat that had been eating his prized tomato plants. When an animal control officer from the local humane society came to retrieve the rat, Balun was issued two summonses for animal cruelty, each of which carried penalties of up to six months in jail.

A court date was set for August 24, 1994 and a media frenzy ensued. Newspapers from London to Tokyo picked up the story and it aired on every major network.

My late father Andrew Ruotolo Jr. was the Union County Prosecutor at the time. When I came across an article on the case, in which my father was quoted, I knew I had to bring this quintessential NJ story to the screen.

For the past year and a half, producer Andrew Lessner (also a Westfield native) and myself have been working on a documentary; interviewing seven living witnesses who were directly involved in the case and tracking down archival news footage and newspaper clippings.

Before we can release The Rat Slayer of Hillside NJ to festivals this fall, we need to license the archival news footage, which is why we are launching a Kickstarter campaign to coincide with the 20th anniversary (the film has been entirely self-financed up to this point).

Both Andrew and I grew up in Westfield. Our previous film Portrait of an Old Toy Man (about the proprietor of a Westfield toy store) screened at festivals throughout the state including the Montclair Film Festival, Lighthouse International Film Festival and Rahway International Festival (winner - Best Documentary 2013).

Check out their Facebook Page Here.