Tens of thousands of dollars have poured in to support a Connecticut man who police say recently escaped his father and stepmother’s captivity of 20 years.
The 5’9” man, whose name has not been released, weighed just 70 pounds when he was rescued last month after setting the Waterbury home ablaze to save himself.
The 32-year-old, who estimates his alleged ordeal began when he was 11, had been confined in a tiny room with no heat or air conditioning, no bathroom access, and limited food and water for two decades.
In the weeks since the tragic story surfaced, donations have flowed into a GoFundMe page to support the victim. As of Saturday morning, the fundraiser had garnered more than $53,000 in contributions, and its goal is $70,000.
After first responders rescued him from the fire, he was treated for smoke inhalation and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. The funds will go toward his healthcare, therapy, housing, daily living expenses, and legal fees, according to the page that the nonprofit Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury set up.
“Every donation, no matter how small, will help give this survivor a chance to heal, rebuild, and find peace. Please consider supporting him in his journey toward recovery and freedom,” the fundraiser states.
Officials say he was pulled from his school in fourth grade, and police conducted a welfare check in 2005 after his classmates expressed concern for his whereabouts.
After hearing the disturbing allegations, police launched an investigation, which revealed he had endured “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment,” while a prosecutor this week referred to the man as being “akin to a survivor of Auschwitz’s death camp.”
The man told police he set the blaze using hand sanitizer, an old lighter and some printer paper. “He lit that fire knowing he very well could have died,” a prosecutor told the court Wednesday.
“I wanted my freedom,” the man said, according to police.
After his father died in 2024, the victim said his treatment worsened, citing having to use used bottles and newspapers to go to the bathroom.
When rescued, the man was emaciated, his hair was matted, and his teeth appeared to be rotted, an arrest warrant, obtained by the CT Post, stated. Authorities took note of a “slide lock” outside his room, allowing it to be secured from the outside. After learning of the scene, Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said they were “worse than the conditions of a jail cell.”
His stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, 56, is now facing counts of kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and cruelty, among other charges. She has denied the claims against her, with her attorney saying she was “stunned to hear the allegations.”
Her lawyer told People that the man’s late father called the shots. “He was in control,” the attorney said, noting his client “was only carrying out his orders.” Sullivan never locked him in the room and encouraged him to bathe, the lawyer added: “He could have just walked away then if he wanted to leave.”
