Help us find "The Human Fly". This is Websleuths' chance to show law enforcement what we can do!!!

[Tricia]

Hey Everyone,
We need your help.
We have been asked to help a documentary company find a man who is known only as "The Human Fly.
If anyone can find this person I know it is our Websleuths members.
He is from Canada.
What we will do is when someone comes up with good information we will do a livestream on our Websleuths YouTube channel. We will feature the member or members who came up with the information. These videos will be used in the documentary.
It is very important we help find The Human Fly. Why? Because this is a great chance to show law enforcement what we can do. Also, this will law enforcement if they work with us their jobs will be so much easier.
I am not getting paid. Websleuths is not getting paid. Helping this family is what we do on our website.

Here is the information.
SEARCHING FOR A DAREDEVIL FROM THE 1970’S. HE PERFORMED HIS BIGGEST STUNT AND THEN DISAPPEARED.
In 1977, the Canadian stuntman tried to clear 26 buses on a rocket-powered Harley. He crashed somewhere around bus 19.
Actually, we don't know if his real name for sure. Or whether he was a stuntman — he claimed to have worked in Hollywood for a time, but there's no record of that. But he was definitely in Canada at some point.
He seems to have materialized in Montreal in the mid-'70s, when he joined forces with two sausage-makers who wanted to get into the daredevil business. They thought they could break Knievel's record.
Why do we want to find him …
We are making a documentary feature film about The Human Fly. It is a wonderful story with lots of intrigue, twists and turns and 70’s glamour … but the fate of The Fly is something we would love to include. We are working with Producers and Promoters who would love to work with Rick again, not in stunts, but telling the story and making appearances as The Original Fly. The Human Fly was immortalised by Marvel, he is the only real person to have a series of comics written about him.
We would love to include the story of how the Websluths network helped us find him. We have asked for help from journalists and private investigators, but they have turned up nothing. Of course, if you do help find him and don’t want to take part in the film, that is no problem, we will just be very grateful for your help.
What we know …
We are pretty sure the man in this article is our guy. Two of the people who saw him without a mask back in the 70’s say this is almost certainly him. Plus Rick had a full set of false teeth and this guy also has false teeth. https://calgaryjournal.ca/2015/02/26/richard-rajotte-a-calgarian-panhandler-strives-to-spread-happiness/
Rick was last seen in Calgary in 2015, living on the streets. He is approx. 70yrs old.
Rick Rajotte / Rojatt / Rojatte or Stephen Richard Rajotte.
Possible Birth date - 2/2 or 29/2 1948 (although this does not tally with the guy in the articles star sign)
He was possibly married a few times
Ex Wife – Gina Bluno. Two children, Tammy and Shelley. Montreal based.
Ex wife – Linda Salisbury, One child, Heather (Married name Dresser)
Mother – Elizabeth Lister (was not well in 2004, was estranged at that point)

People we have been in touch with who don’t know his whereabouts ….
Rameceri Family
Tony and Bob Babinski
Alan Brewer
Ky Michealson
David Levine

FLY INFO :
https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/human-fly-the-daredevil-who-made-evel-knievel-seem-sane.htm

 

[dotr]

Will check it out, think i know of him..

 

[MadMcGoo]

Fascinating story. I hope someone finds him!

These articles describe him physically (29 years old in 1976, 6’3”, 190 lbs.) and the “rhinestone-studded scarlet jumpsuit and mask” match with the video @dotr posted. He was apparently in an automobile accident that killed his family and now has some hardware in his head and hip.

Ironically, there was an American “Human Fly” making headlines around the same time. I’ll look around some more later.

The Kingston Whig-Standard 08 Sep 1976, page 6 - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Kingston Whig-Standard dated 08 Sep 1976, page 6.

www.newspapers.com

Edmonton Journal 20 May 1977, page 22 - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from Edmonton Journal dated 20 May 1977, page 22.

www.newspapers.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Marvel Comics billed him as “The wildest superhero ever—because he’s real!” Although the pages of The Human Fly, which ran from 1977-78, were fiction, they were indeed loosely based on a mysterious masked stuntman whose name may or may not have been “Rick Rojatt.” The self-proclaimed “world’s greatest stuntman” promised that he would prove that the Human Fly was “the greatest superhero that has ever lived or will live.”

He also broke one of Evel Knievel’s records (and a few bones) by jumping a rocket-powered motorcycle over 27 school buses during a disco-themed concert at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.

The Human Fly’s wild ride on planes, motorcycles and through news reports and comic book pages had a start in an unlikely and mild origin: a Montreal sausage maker that was bored out of his mind.

Brothers Joe and Dominique Ramacieri were born into the family sausage business, Roma Foods, which was founded in 1955. The business was doing well, but for young Joe Ramacieri, it was a dull trade.

“I’d be making sausages and my hands would freeze, from morning until night, and I would tell my brother, ‘I can’t do this, I got to find something else,’” Joe said in a documentary interview with filmmaker Tony Babinski.

The Human Fly and company

Joe and his brother decided to use some of the pepperoni profits to form Human Fly Spectaculars, Ltd in 1976, hiring an enthusiastic stuntman who called himself “Rick Rojatt” to fill out the fuzzy red felt Human Fly costume. The full body supersuit covered him head to toe, completely masking his identity. It was decorated with white stripes and bedazzled with sequins. The Fly also sometimes wore a cape and carried around an ornate scepter. He had a backup red and white leather costume and a helmet to protect his body while engaging in his stunts

Rojatt claimed that he was a former stuntman and that 5 years before his appearance as the Fly, he was in a terrible car crash that had left his wife and daughter dead. Doctors, sworn to confidentiality, worked feverishly over the course of “38 operations” to save Rojatt’s life and replaced “sixty percent of his bone structure” with molded steel parts. As part of his Fly stunt training, Rojatt said that he woke up every day at “3AM, ran six miles, and then plunged into a bathtub full of ice cubes.”

Pretty fly for a daredevil guy: the return of the Human Fly - Pop Mythology

Marvel Comics billed him as “The wildest superhero ever—because he’s real!” Although the pages of Th

www.popmythology.com

 

[HopeRains]

I find his reference to be in the hospital with Vietnam Veterans interesting. Canada did not officially commit troops to the Vietnam War. Anyone in Canada who wanted to participate crossed the US border and joined. This also meant that upon their return they did not receive any type of veterans assistance or benefits from Canada, but could receive such from the US and many travelled back to the US to receive them, particularly those who were wounded.

So .... if that is a possible scenario here, then "The Human Fly" may have very well been in a US hospital.

Here are some articles on

VIETNAM WAR ALSO HAUNTS CANADIANS WHO VOLUNTEERED (Published 1985)

www.nytimes.com

A Canadian's Story

During the Vietnam War, the role of Canada was support and peacekeeping rather than joining American forces in the fight against the North Vietnamese.

www.wned.org

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In 1977, I was contracted to build a rocket-powered motorcycle capable of jumping over 27 buses. The jump was to take place in the Montreal Olympic Stadium, as a half-time show for a concert featuring Gloria Gaynor and a number of other disco stars of the 70's. The daredevil rider was Rick Rojatt, otherwise known as the Human Fly. At the time, Evil Kneivel held the record jump of 13 buses, and Rick wanted to beat it badly. Rick's claim to fame at that point in his career was an astonishing stunt he'd performed over the Mojave Desert where he'd wing-walked on a DC-8 and actually made​

two low flying passes at 250 mph, a nearly impossible feat, and truly death-defying. The other very unique thing about this off-the-wall daredevil was that he was never seen out of costume, and kept his true identity a secret by wearing a red mask and a white cape, identical to the comic book action hero.

<modsnip: Copyright violation of more than 10% of article>

The Rocketman Online Store

 

[HopeRains]

Doctors, sworn to confidentiality, worked feverishly over the course of “38 operations” to save Rojatt’s life and replaced “sixty percent of his bone structure” with molded steel parts.

This is right in-line (in terms of "secrecy" and "steel parts") with two well known US TV programs of the time:

The Six Million $ Man (1973-1978)
The Bionic Woman (1976 - 1978)

 

[imstilla.grandma]

This is right in-line (in terms of "secrecy" and "steel parts") with two well known US TV programs of the time:

The Six Million $ Man (1973-1978)
The Bionic Woman (1976 - 1978)

I was just thinking of those two. I forgot his name. Steve?
Wasn’t her name Jamie?

 

[HopeRains]

Rojatt claimed that he was a former stuntman and that 5 years before his appearance as the Fly, he was in a terrible car crash that had left his wife and daughter dead.

When was his appearance as "the Fly"? I'm trying to get a time reference here and will look for articles referencing the accident, both in the US and Canada.

And,

(1) someone who is a linguist can listen to the video and provide a guestimate on where he is from OR if the reporter in the story recorded the conversation (which is not uncommon) it can be compared against the video interview
(2) I believe there to be some element of truth/known reference in the name Rick Rojatt. On just a quick word scramble with the letters there were many available words - one of them being "actor".

 

[MadMcGoo]

This says at some point he was in a rock band, “The Human Fly and Red Rider” that played in US clubs and made a few TV appearances. ETA: Maybe it wasn’t him. This video (and sources contained within the description) has more footage of him.

Sep 11, 2013, page 38 - The Gazette at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Gazette dated Sep 11, 2013, page 38.

www.newspapers.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The Story of Rick Rojatt - The Human Fly

If ever there was a story that needed to be made into a feature film, it's the story of Rick Rojatt, The Human Fly.

silodrome.com

*Clay Lacy isn’t listed as being contacted:

In the early 1970s, Rojatt teamed with famous US pilot Clay Lacy to ride atop a four-engine Douglas DC-8.

<modsnip: Copyright violation of more than 10% of article>

Extraordinary stunt by the Human Fly atop a Douglas DC-8 - Airline Ratings

One of the most spectacular aircraft stunts was performed by Canadian Rick Rojatt dressed up as comic book superhero the Human Fly. In the early 1970s, Rojatt teamed with famous US pilot Clay Lacy to ride atop a four-engine Douglas DC-8. The stunt was performed several times at speeds of up to...

www.airlineratings.com

 

[MadMcGoo]

I find his reference to be in the hospital with Vietnam Veterans interesting. Canada did not officially commit troops to the Vietnam War. Anyone in Canada who wanted to participate crossed the US border and joined. This also meant that upon their return they did not receive any type of veterans assistance or benefits from Canada, but could receive such from the US and many travelled back to the US to receive them, particularly those who were wounded.

So .... if that is a possible scenario here, then "The Human Fly" may have very well been in a US hospital.

Here are some articles on

VIETNAM WAR ALSO HAUNTS CANADIANS WHO VOLUNTEERED (Published 1985)

www.nytimes.com

A Canadian's Story

During the Vietnam War, the role of Canada was support and peacekeeping rather than joining American forces in the fight against the North Vietnamese.

www.wned.org

This is good information! I wondered if the accident story was even true or part of the character. That seems like a lot of trauma for a body to endure and then go on to perform these stunts. Or maybe that’s why he seemingly stopped after only a few years.

I did find this but I’m not sure what the notice is about. It was 1976 so it could mean this is not the wife who died in the accident. ETA: Thought I found a property to be sold at auction, but it has a different No..

 

[HopeRains]

We are pretty sure the man in this article is our guy. Two of the people who saw him without a mask back in the 70’s say this is almost certainly him. Plus Rick had a full set of false teeth and this guy also has false teeth. https://calgaryjournal.ca/2015/02/26/richard-rajotte-a-calgarian-panhandler-strives-to-spread-happiness/

Stated above, "Plus Rick had a full set of false teeth and this guy also has false teeth."

It seems according to Google that:

The American Dental Association recommends you replace your dentures every 5-7 years for proper fit and appearance. Denture teeth can wear down and stain faster than natural teeth, and tissues in your mouth may change over time. This can result in an improper fit.

So I guess this quote below from the "full interview" link in the originally posted 2015 article and included in the quote above would make sense, but it does make me wonder if they are the same person ...

 

[MadMcGoo]

I wonder if there’s any truth to this:

Pretty fly for a daredevil guy: the return of the Human Fly - Pop Mythology

Marvel Comics billed him as “The wildest superhero ever—because he’s real!” Although the pages of Th

www.popmythology.com

“Like the night his car was run off the road in North Carolina…”

 

[Lexiintoronto]

(Nothing useful to add, but I’m seriously impressed by what you’ve all found on him already. This is fascinating.)

 

[vls12345]

The Human Fly, or the Daredevil Who Made Evel Knievel Seem Sane

A story about a superhero, a rocket bike and a 40-year mystery that probably won't be solved.

entertainment.howstuffworks.com

 

[vls12345]

Rumor supposedly said he became a musician in coffeehouses...

Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin

www.progressiveruin.com

 

[HopeRains]

“Like the night his car was run off the road in North Carolina…”

I'm in North Carolina, and I will be All over this looking in newspaper archives. This kind of tragedy is reported and even in the 70s would have likely been reported in the larger metropolitan papers (Charlotte, Raleigh, etc) regardless of where it may have occurred in the state.

 

[10ofRods]

You are all amazing.

 

[HopeRains]

I wonder if there’s any truth to this:

Pretty fly for a daredevil guy: the return of the Human Fly - Pop Mythology

Marvel Comics billed him as “The wildest superhero ever—because he’s real!” Although the pages of Th

www.popmythology.com

View attachment 426002
“Like the night his car was run off the road in North Carolina…”

This May of 2022 comment was left at the end of the article posted by MadMcGoo above, sorry the link didn't come through - don't know the accuracy, but definitely worth sharing the comments - maybe another contact it would seem to me.

<modsnip: Screenshots of 'comments' on articles are not allowed>