A man who was held captive by his stepmother for more than 20 years in Waterbury, Connecticut, escaped by setting fire to the house, police said at a news conference on Thursday.
On Feb. 17, the 32-year-old set fire to his room using paper, a lighter, and hand sanitizer, according to the CT Post.
The man, who remains anonymous, later told police his stepmother had held him captive since he was 11 years old.
“I wanted my freedom,” the man told EMTs treating him for smoke inhalation, admitting he started the blaze to escape.
“The facts of this case, quite frankly, are something out of a horror movie. That’s without exaggeration,” Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don Therkildsen said.
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“He lit that fire knowing he very well could have died,” Therkildsen said.
The man’s stepmother was 56-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, who was arrested Wednesday and faces numerous charges: first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons, and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to WFSB-TV in Connecticut.
Sullivan denied that she locked the man in his room and said that he was free to move about the house.
“Absolutely shocked, okay? Absolutely appalled by these allegations, absolutely shocked,” Jason