By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-04-01 22:01:31 | Updated at 2025-04-03 01:19:27
1 day ago
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 stepson, who has not been named, reportedly told officers he set his room on fire on purpose because he 'wanted freedom', and 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.'
The first responders discussed arresting Sullivan on the scene and said they were left with a number of questions after speaking with her and her stepson, but conceded they didn't have enough evidence to detain her.
The footage release comes as authorities also shared dozens of images from inside the home, showing where Sullivan allegedly held her stepson in captivity locked in a small room for most of his life.
The images showed several rooms were fitted with locks, trash had built up extensively inside the home, and the stepson's room was almost entirely burned down.
Sullivan pleaded not guilty to a number of charges including assault and kidnapping, with prosecutors saying her stepson had been left in a condition 'akin to a survivor of Auschwitz's death camp.'
Shocking bodycam footage captured the moment firefighters shared their shock after rescuing a man who allegedly set his home on fire to escape captivity, with one remarking how the man 'says he hasn't had a shower in over a year'
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, is facing charges including assault and kidnapping after being accused of holding her stepson in a locked room for over 20 years
The first responder bodycam also showed the moment officers grilled Sullivan about her stepson as she sat outside following the fire.
After being aked about what she knew, Sullivan responded: 'He said he woke up, and the TV was in flames.'
'Where was he when he said that to you?' the officer asks, to which Sullivan said he had been 'coming out of his room.'
'I guess he fell asleep, and I don't know, smelled the smoke?' she added.
The investigators appear to raise their concerns at that moment, asking her: 'Was the door locked on his room, or no?'
When she says it was not, they ask her if it is 'normally locked', and whether 'he has free reign to go out of their whenever he wants?'
Despite Sullivan's insistence that her stepson was free to move around, the officers then discuss charging her, but agree that they did not have enough.
Police released dozens of images from the inside of Sullivan's home this week showing where she allegedly held her stepson captive
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'
Their questioning over whether the stepson's door was locked comes as police images from inside the home showed a number of locks were fitted throughout Sullivan's squalid home.
When her stepson was saved from the home, authorities said he weighed just 68lbs.
After officers decided they did not have the evidence to charge Sullivan at the scene, she was later arrested two weeks later at her home.
Sullivan's neighbor Zeffrey Guarnera told DailyMail.com that he witnessed the fire break out, and shared his disbelief that the stepson had been allegedly held in captivity for so many years.
He recalled how his daughter once claimed she saw a ghost in the home after witnessing the stepson at his bedroom window.
'She saw a little boy in the window with a baseball cap on, and he waved at her and she waved at him… and then she never saw him again,' Guarnera said.
'She even said, 'did I see a ghost?'
Neighbor Zeffney Guarnera told how his daughter once thought she saw a ghost inside the Sullivans' home, as he is seen pointing to where the fire broke out next to his 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.
The suspect's attorney Ioannis Kaloidis criticized the Waterbury Police Department after the images were released this week, saying it was aimed at hurting her defense.
'The release of sensitive evidence by the Waterbury Police Department in a pending and active investigation is shocking, offensive and quite frankly, ethically questionable,' Kaloidis said.
'It only serves to solidify public opinion against Ms. Sullivan. Justice requires the protection of constitutional rights and ultimately, a fair trial.
'We call for an immediate investigation into the release of these photos and videos. We intend to fight these outrageous allegations every step of the way.'
