Man who says he was held captive in Connecticut home for 20 years makes his first public comments

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

And he plans to change his name as he begins to take charge of his life and recovers both physically and mentally.

A nonprofit group, Survivors Say, released a statement by the man, who was pulled by firefighters on Feb. 17 from a burning Waterbury home that police say he set on fire in a desperate attempt to win his freedom.

“Please call me ‘S,’ ” the statement begins. “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.”

The man spent time in a hospital and was later moved to another care center 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 only about 69 pounds (31 kilograms) when he was brought to the hospital, where doctors told police the man was extremely malnourished and had other health and development 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 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.”

Shocking bodycam footage captured the moment firefighters rescued a man who allegedly set his home on fire to escape captivity.

The footage showed first responders on the scene in Waterbury, Connecticut on February 17, after saving Kimberly Sullivan, 56, and her stepson, 32, from her home.

The footage showed firefighters speaking to each other moments later.

'He says he hasn't had a shower in over a year,' one said. 'There's dirt all over him.'

He had been left in a condition 'akin to a survivor of Auschwitz's death camp.'

(Firefighters shared their shock after rescuing a man who allegedly set his home on fire to escape captivity)

(Kimberly Sullivan, 56)

(Police released dozens of images from the inside of Sullivan's home)

(Ashes were left on the floor where the stepson allegedly set his room on fire to get the attention of authorities)

(The images showed several rooms were fitted with locks inside the home)

(Sullivan's attorney said this week that she intends 'to fight these outrageous allegations every step of the way')

(Neighbor Zeffney Guarnera told how his daughter once thought she saw a ghost inside the Sullivans' home)

(Police released shocking images of the inside of Sullivan's home)

(Sullivan's attorney criticized the release of the images as 'shocking, offensive and quite frankly, ethically questionable')

(Sullivan pleaded not guilty earlier this month as her attorney says she is fighting the charges against her)

Sullivan was released days after her release on a $200,000 bond, and was fitted with a GPS tracking monitor but was not placed under house arrest.

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