A new name, first-ever birthday party: Man speaks out after 20 years as ‘prisoner’ in childhood home

Hartford, Connecticut: A US man who told police that he was held captive in a home by his father and stepmother and given limited food for 20 years before being rescued has thanked medical staff for holding what he called his first-ever birthday party as he turned 32.

In his first public comments since being rescued by firefighters after setting his room alight to win his freedom, the man said he wanted people to be held responsible for what happened to him. He planned to change his name as he begins to take charge of his life and recovers both physically and mentally.

The home in Waterbury, Connecticut, where the man said he was held captive for decades.Credit: AP

A nonprofit group, Survivors Say, released a statement by the man, who was in February pulled from a burning house in Waterbury, Connecticut.

“Please call me S, ” he said in the statement, released on Tuesday, Connecticut time.

“This is not the name given to me by my parents when I was born. I am choosing a new name for myself, and I will use that name as I reclaim control over my life and my future.

“My name is my choice, and it is the first of many choices I will make for myself now that I am free.”

An undated police handout shows the inside of the home.Credit: via The New York Times

The man spent time in a hospital and was later moved to another care centre after being rescued from the home, where he said he was kept locked in a small room most of every day and not given enough food since he was 11.

He weighed just 30 kilograms when brought to hospital, where doctors told police he was extremely malnourished and had other health and developmental problems.

His stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, has been charged with kidnapping, felony assault, cruelty to persons and other crimes. She and her lawyer have denied that she kept the man locked up, and she has pleaded not guilty. Sullivan told police that the man was free to move about the house as he pleased, according to an arrest warrant. The man’s father died last year.

“I am a survivor of more than 20 years of captivity and domestic abuse,” the man said in the statement. “I was held prisoner in my home from the time I was taken out of the fourth grade at age 11 until two months ago at age 31 when I purposely set the fire that helped set me free.

This image provided by the Waterbury Police Department shows the damage in the house.Credit: Waterbury Police Department via AP

“I am speaking out today to begin the process of reclaiming my life and to have my say in how my story is told.”

Survivors Say spokesperson David Guarino said the group provided support to survivors and victims of tragedies at no charge. He declined further comment and referred to the man’s statement.

Kimberly Sullivan in court on March 13, 2025.Credit: AP

The man told his story to police after his rescue. He said he was locked in the small room with no heat or air-conditioning for most of every day, allowed out only briefly to do chores, and was hungry all the time. He received no medical or dental care, and many of his teeth were decayed, police said.

He was unenrolled from Waterbury’s public school system in 2004, after his father and stepmother complained that school officials were reporting concerns about his well-being to the state Department of Children and Families.

Police visited the home twice at the time and reported no concerns. The Department of Children and Families also visited the home, but the man said Sullivan told him to say everything was fine, according to the arrest warrant. He also said Sullivan threatened him with even less food if he ever told anyone about what was going on in the house.

State and local authorities have been looking into how this could have happened, and some are calling for stricter oversight of homeschooling and a review of the agency’s actions.

The man said he was feeling much better and stronger. He thanked many people, from first responders to medical care professionals to people and groups helping him recover. He said medical staff organised his first-ever birthday party recently.

He thanked Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury, which helps victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. The group has been raising money for his care, collecting just under $US270,000 ($426,000) for medical and dental care, counselling and therapy, living expenses and expected legal fees.

“I ask everyone involved in my story to fully co-operate with the authorities who are helping me seek justice for these crimes,” he said. “I also ask the public and the media to respect those investigations and my privacy as this process plays out. This isn’t just a story. It’s my life.”

He also thanked the public for their thoughts, messages, support and prayers.

AP

If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 131 114, beyondblue on 1800 512 348, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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