Stockton Student Makes Documentary On Heroin Abuse

For Alissa Petrella, the heroin epidemic is personal. She lost her brother, Andrew, to overdose in September. The Stockton student wants to made the addiction crisis more personal for all, so she created "The Epidemic," a short documentary about drug abuse posted Dec. 4 on YouTube.

"Ever since his death, I really wanted to bring awareness to what was going on in the community," Petrella said in the 12-minute documentary. "We really don't know how to address it, how to work with it or how to stop it."

Petrella tried to humanize addiction in her documentary, which she made for a digital storytelling class at Stockton University, according to the Ocean City Sentinel. She speaks with several people who have struggled with substance abuse. Katherine, of Upper Township, tells the story of getting into a car accident with her boyfriend, who falls asleep at the wheel.

"I flew 30 feet through the roof in my Jeep Wrangler and broke 20 different bones," Katherine said in the documentary "...I was in a coma for three weeks."

Petrella's brother Andrew, 24, died in September. Andrew "was a complete smart***, with a witty sense of humor, and always had a smile on his face...especially when he was 'doing hoodrat stuff with his friends,'" his obituary states, referencing a quotable viral video.

Andrew, a 2012 Ocean City High School grad, loved riding dirt bikes, bridge jumping into the Tuckahoe River, going to concerts, working on trucks and spending time with family, his obituary says. Petrella's documentary opens with the following speech:

"Welcome to New Jersey. Our state is home to some of the greatest family resorts. We have some of the best beaches in the county. We've got some of the nicest boardwalks. We've got an entertaining nightlife. We even have some of the most beautiful sunsets. And do you know what else we have? We also have a really big heroin problem."

New Jersey suffered 3,163 overdose deaths in 2018 – a 15 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Office of Attorney General.

"Heroin addicts are not scum of the earth," Petrella said in the film. "They're people we love."

Watch the full documentary:

Photos via "The Epidemic" on YouTube