An emaciated man, 32, says he was held in his room for 20 years and set it on fire to gain his freedom, according to police. His stepmother was charged with cruelty and kidnapping.

WATERBURY, Connecticut — Firefighters responding to a house fire found a man who claimed he intentionally set the blaze to escape his room. He said he had been starved and held captive for more than 20 years by his stepmother.

Both sides of his door had been secured with plywood and a lock, the man would later say, to stop him from getting out. For years, he’d only been given two sandwiches – egg or tuna salad, or peanut butter – and a small amount of water each day,

A man held captive by his stepmom for 20 years deliberately set fire to their home in Waterbury, Connecticut, last month to escape because he wanted his freedom, police said.