‘He put a lot of trust in us': Waterbury FD speaks out about rescuing man held captive

NBC Connecticut spoke to the Waterbury Fire Department about a call that changed the course of one man's life.

Police say a Waterbury man intentionally set his house on fire to escape 20 years of captivity his stepmother is accused of creating.

It's a call Waterbury Fire Department Captain Jon Paul Oldham said will now always stick out in his mind.

"I saw, the mother and, at the time, what I thought was a child, in the kitchen. He was in the fetal position in the kitchen,” Oldham said.

He was in the first engine responding to 2 Blake St. during that February evening, arriving in only two and a half minutes.

Oldham said he had to tell Kimberly Sullivan to leave the home multiple times, and checked to make sure her stepson was still breathing.

He said the fire itself was contained to the upper part of the house, and it only took nine minutes to put out.

"The door opened to the second room, which was inside of that room. That's where the main bulk of the fire was. We put the fire out there, so it was actually a room that was inside of a room where this victim lived,” Oldham said.

He said there were some oddities in the home. Not only did he notice locks, but he also said two other rooms were empty, and it was strange that someone who was theoretically capable of walking out was still inside.

Body camera footage shows firefighter Gabriel Goja carrying the victim out of the home.

"It's just a sad situation. And I hope he recovers quickly,” Goja said.

He and Oldham both say they are glad they could help the victim, and said they'd like to meet him one day.

"I was just doing my job. That's pretty much, that’s it,” Goja said.

“He put a lot of trust in us,” Oldham said.

Waterbury police detective gives update on how the victim is recovering

Detective Steve Brownell of the Waterbury Police Department said he couldn't comment on anything other than what is in the affidavit, although he said the alleged victim is slowly recovering.

Police say the stepson set the fire himself, telling first responders he wanted his freedom.

"My stepson is in his room, and I don’t know, he did something with the TV,” Kimberly Sullivan said during her 911 phone call reporting the fire. “He’s kind of passed out, he's out of it, please."

The warrant alleges he set the fire using hand sanitizer and a lighter but told his stepmom something happened with the radio.

"You can't imagine. You could sit there and think about it for a really long time, but you're talking about a period of captivity that is really hard to absorb and really understand,” Brownell said.

Brownell said he can't comment on the bodycam video or the 911 call because of the ongoing investigation.

He also said he can't go into detail about the man’s condition or the help he's receiving, but said he is recovering.

"He's got the best, some of the best medical professionals that I’ve ever really seen on the job, caring for him right now,” Brownell said.

When he was rescued, police say the 32-year-old man’s malnourishment was at a life-threatening level.

Brownell has had multiple conversations with the stepson. He said he has a tremendous sense of humor and is great at conversation.

"It's his spirit that really kind of sucks everybody in and you're almost in the presence of, like, a different being in some way,” Brownell said.

Sullivan’s attorney denies these allegations and said she's innocent. She was released on $300,000 bond.