“Compelling Bodycam Video Captures the Rescue of a Connecticut Man Held Captive by His Parents for Two Decades”

Video footage captured by a police body camera in Waterbury, Connecticut, has revealed the dramatic rescue of a man who claimed to have been held captive by his parents for more than 20 years.

Last month, crews responded to a fire at the 32-year-old man’s stepmother’s home.

The man’s stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, made a frantic call to 911 when their house caught fire. On the video, she can be heard describing the victim as “injured” and “kind of passed out.”

When officers arrived at the home, Sullivan was outside holding her dog, while her stepson was still inside.

Firefighters ended up carrying the victim out of the home and took him to the hospital.

According to police reports, the man resorted to a desperate act to break free from his captivity. He used hand sanitizer and a lighter to start the fire, hoping that it would attract the attention of first responders and help him escape from being confined to his room for two decades. When rescuers found him, he was severely malnourished, weighing only 68 pounds.

Sullivan was arrested last week after police launched an investigation.

Back in 2005, Waterbury Police and Children’s Services conducted a welfare check when the victim was 11 and had stopped going to school. The department said nothing usual was detected. They went on to uncover the victim had begged classmates for food and ate items out of the garbage.

The victim says for years he was only allowed briefly out of his room to do chores, and that conditions in the house became worse when his father died last year.

Sullivan is facing charges of kidnapping, unlawful restraint and assault. Her lawyer acknowledged she was carrying out the rules put in place by her late husband.

The victim is still receiving medical care.