Latest news with #Pelzer
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
"A Child Called 'It'" author says Connecticut house of horrors case is 'attempted murder'
The author of the bestselling memoir "A Child Called 'It:' One Child's Courage to Survive" says allegations of child abuse against Connecticut stepmom Kimberly Sullivan are troubling. "That is attempted murder," Dave Pelzer told Fox News Digital, adding details of the Sullivan case are "beyond sadness." Sullivan, 56, was arrested March 12 in Waterbury, Connecticut, after her 32-year-old stepson set a fire at their house Feb. 27 to escape what authorities said were abusive conditions. He weighed just 68 pounds. As chronicled in his book, which has sold millions of copies and spent several years on The New York Times Best Sellers list, Pelzer was physically and emotionally abused by his mother from ages 4 to 12. 'Malnourished Man Held Captive By Stepmom For Decades Set Fire To Home To Escape: 'I Wanted My Freedom' "I've worked a lot of cases — a lot of cases. This is severe. Extremely severe," Pelzer said. "Because of the length of it and the fact, again, [the victim is] 5-foot-8 and 68 pounds. And I'm worried about his mental state." Read On The Fox News App The Waterbury Police Department located Sullivan's 32-year-old stepson at the home, where he admitted to setting the blaze. The man, who has not been named, was found emaciated and told police he had been confined in the home since age 11. He said he had never received medical or dental care. "I wanted my freedom," he told investigators. Man Describes Shocking Living Conditions He Endured During 20-Year Home Captivity: 'Unimaginable' According to an arrest warrant for Sullivan, the victim, identified as "Male Victim 1," was held in a windowless 8-foot by 9-foot storage closet with no air conditioning or heat and without access to a bathroom for 20 years. He was kept inside the closet 22-24 hours per day. He was allowed two sandwiches and two small water bottles each day, one of which he would use for bathing. He disposed of his waste using water bottles and newspaper. Sullivan was arrested on charges of first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. She was released on $300,000 bail. Utah Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke's Power, Public Image Allowed Child Abuse To Go 'Unchecked': Expert Despite the fact the victim was sometimes allowed out of the house to let out the family dog and do chores, Pelzer said victims of extreme abuse do not run because they are conditioned by their parents into thinking that the abuse they face is normal. "I've got to tell you, when I went to court, when I was being made a permanent ward of the court, I was with my beautiful social worker. God bless her," Pelzer said. "And I saw my mom right across the hallway, and I forgot I had done this, but I guess I wrote a note to my mom saying, 'Dear mom, I'm so sorry about this.' Paris Hilton Urges House To Pass 'Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act' After Senate's Unanimous Approval "I remember one time I was going to run away," he said. "I think I was 6, and I had it all planned out. I stole an apple pie and brought it into the basement. They were gone for an afternoon for family affair or whatever, and I was about to run away. I thought, 'Where am I going to go? Who's going to take me in?'" While there have been reports the Connecticut Department of Children and Families visited the Sullivan home in response to reports from the victim's school, Pelzer explained that abusive parents often have a unique ability to manipulate authorities. Read Kimberly Sullivan's arrest warrant: Mobile users click here "We are shocked and saddened for the victim and at the unspeakable conditions he endured. The now adult victim has shown incredible strength and resilience during this time of healing, and our hearts go out to him," the department said in a statement. The department noted there are no records of visits to the Sullivan home on file because reports of neglect and abuse that are unsubstantiated are expunged from its system after five years. Pelzer said he hopes a caring family member will support the victim, who will have limited state resources for recovery as an adult. Fox News Digital reached out to two of the victim's sisters and Sullivan's article source: "A Child Called 'It'" author says Connecticut house of horrors case is 'attempted murder'
Fox News
21-03-2025
- Fox News
"A Child Called 'It'" author says Connecticut house of horrors case is 'attempted murder'
The author of the bestselling memoir "A Child Called 'It:' One Child's Courage to Survive" says allegations of child abuse against Connecticut stepmom Kimberly Sullivan are troubling. "That is attempted murder," Dave Pelzer told Fox News Digital, adding details of the Sullivan case are "beyond sadness." Sullivan, 56, was arrested March 12 in Waterbury, Connecticut, after her 32-year-old stepson set a fire at their house Feb. 27 to escape what authorities said were abusive conditions. He weighed just 68 pounds. As chronicled in his book, which has sold millions of copies and spent several years on The New York Times Best Sellers list, Pelzer was physically and emotionally abused by his mother from ages 4 to 12. "I've worked a lot of cases — a lot of cases. This is severe. Extremely severe," Pelzer said. "Because of the length of it and the fact, again, [the victim is] 5-foot-8 and 68 pounds. And I'm worried about his mental state." The Waterbury Police Department located Sullivan's 32-year-old stepson at the home, where he admitted to setting the blaze. The man, who has not been named, was found emaciated and told police he had been confined in the home since age 11. He said he had never received medical or dental care. "I wanted my freedom," he told investigators. According to an arrest warrant for Sullivan, the victim, identified as "Male Victim 1," was held in a windowless 8-foot by 9-foot storage closet with no air conditioning or heat and without access to a bathroom for 20 years. He was kept inside the closet 22-24 hours per day. He was allowed two sandwiches and two small water bottles each day, one of which he would use for bathing. He disposed of his waste using water bottles and newspaper. Sullivan was arrested on charges of first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. She was released on $300,000 bail. Despite the fact the victim was sometimes allowed out of the house to let out the family dog and do chores, Pelzer said victims of extreme abuse do not run because they are conditioned by their parents into thinking that the abuse they face is normal. "I've got to tell you, when I went to court, when I was being made a permanent ward of the court, I was with my beautiful social worker. God bless her," Pelzer said. "And I saw my mom right across the hallway, and I forgot I had done this, but I guess I wrote a note to my mom saying, 'Dear mom, I'm so sorry about this.' "I remember one time I was going to run away," he said. "I think I was 6, and I had it all planned out. I stole an apple pie and brought it into the basement. They were gone for an afternoon for family affair or whatever, and I was about to run away. I thought, 'Where am I going to go? Who's going to take me in?'" While there have been reports the Connecticut Department of Children and Families visited the Sullivan home in response to reports from the victim's school, Pelzer explained that abusive parents often have a unique ability to manipulate authorities. Read Kimberly Sullivan's arrest warrant: Mobile users click here "We are shocked and saddened for the victim and at the unspeakable conditions he endured. The now adult victim has shown incredible strength and resilience during this time of healing, and our hearts go out to him," the department said in a statement. The department noted there are no records of visits to the Sullivan home on file because reports of neglect and abuse that are unsubstantiated are expunged from its system after five years. Pelzer said he hopes a caring family member will support the victim, who will have limited state resources for recovery as an adult. Fox News Digital reached out to two of the victim's sisters and Sullivan's attorney.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Iowa parents express concern as measles cases rise in U.S.
DES MOINES, Iowa — As measles cases spread throughout Texas and across the U.S., Iowa parents are reaching out to hospitals with concerns. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads through respiratory droplets, like a cough or sneeze, according to the Iowa Clinic. Symptoms include a rash that starts on the face and progresses down the body, high fever and a cough. Measles is not usually deadly, but 2025 saw the first measles related death since 2015. Children under the ages of five are most susceptible to the disease. The Iowa Clinic says this, and the recent outbreak have parents concerned. 'In the minds of parents, I understand why there's questions,' said Dr. Dan Pelzer a pediatrician with Iowa Clinics. 'As pediatrician, I do my best to answer those questions and be on the same side and protect the children and our kids, who are especially susceptible to measles.' According to the CDC, the nationwide vaccination rate should remain above 95% to keep outbreaks from occurring. The CDC reports that during the 2023-24 school year, 89.1% of Iowa kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles. Due to the highly contagious nature of the disease, the Iowa Clinic says people who haven't been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine should refrain from travel and areas with high outbreak risk factors. 'If a person with measles were to walk into a room full of unvaccinated people, 90% of them would get measles. It's that contagious,' said Dr. Pelzer. 'If it walks into our clinic, we have to clear out the entire clinic for two or three hours because it can remain airborne for that long.' The Iowa Clinic shared a fact sheet sharing best practices to keep a child safe from measles, but Pelzer says the best prevention is vaccination. 'I just want to make sure that I'm protecting the children of central Iowa the best that I can, and to me, it's unequivocal, without a doubt that the best way to do that is by vaccinating them and protecting them from measles,' said Dr. Pelzer. The CDC recommends a child gets the first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12-15 months and the second dose at 4-6 years old. The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Pelzer encourages any parents with concerns about measles or vaccinations to contact their child's pediatrician. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Watch World Calls This Collector ‘Condition Nick'
In the late 1990s, as a college student at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., Nicholas Pelzer aspired to be an actor or hip-hop poet. With those goals in mind, he was a fan of the actor Will Smith, who straddled both professions. So when Mr. Pelzer graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications, his parents gave him an especially appropriate gift: a stainless steel Hamilton Ventura, the angular watch worn by Mr. Smith in the 1997 film 'Men in Black.' 'I think they tried to give me something that was both useful and would resonate with me, knowing what a big fan I was,' Mr. Pelzer, 46, said over a cup of tea at a cafe in Midtown Manhattan, near his workplace as a senior director at a nonprofit philanthropic investment organization. Horology hadn't been part of their deliberations, although Mr. Pelzer had been wearing a beat-up Seiko. As he put it, 'I wasn't a watch guy before that.' Mr. Pelzer wore the Ventura, a reissued model that he said cost his parents a couple hundred dollars, for nearly a decade. During that time he settled in New York City, where he switched gears and earned a master's degree in public administration from Baruch College and a doctorate in education from Columbia University. Gradually, he began to learn more about the Ventura, which Hamilton introduced in 1957 and initially was made famous when Elvis wore it in the 1961 movie 'Blue Hawaii.' 'I went down a rabbit hole of Googling it,' he said. 'I found out that it was based on a design from the '50s, and the first battery-powered mechanical watch.' And by 2013, he was collecting watches from a variety of brands, including 1970s stainless steel chronographs by Seiko and Hamilton, and a rugged Omega Flightmaster from the same era. On eBay, he bought a few Venturas, too — the watch still was an obsession with him — although these purchases, Mr. Pelzer said, 'weren't in great shape.' In 2016 he found a more collectible watch, in good condition, that had distinctive contours similar to the Ventura: a 14-karat gold 1960 Hamilton Electric GE Pacer. He purchased it online for a few thousand dollars from Jarett Harkness, a watch retailer in Texas who specializes in vintage electric timepieces. Then in 2018, Mr. Pelzer bought another, even rarer watch from Mr. Harkness: an 18-karat gold 1958 Hamilton Electric Ventura that was produced in limited quantities, intended for sale in South America. The watch cost about $10,000, and Mr. Pelzer also traded in a few more moderately priced watches from his collection as part of the deal. But the Electric Ventura had never been worn, a big part of the timepiece's appeal for Mr. Pelzer. 'His nickname is 'Condition Nick' because he always wants the best example of any watch he's interested in,' Mr. Harkness said. 'He's not one to settle for so-so. I think someone in New York gave him that nickname — he told me that they called him that. I thought it was pretty appropriate.' Mr. Pelzer said he couldn't remember who gave him the nickname, but added that it was apt. 'I'm a stickler for condition,' he said. 'I try to find the best version of anything that I get. In vintage watches, there's an understanding of some use. 'It's not like I expect everything to be new old stock, but I don't want something that's overly polished, I don't want something that's banged up, I don't want something that it looks like it's been fooled around with.' His collection of more than 40 timepieces now includes a few Omega Speedmasters, including a limited-edition 1969 Apollo XI version; a couple Breitlings, including a limited edition 1960 chronograph stamped with the logo of Kronometer Stockholm, a now-defunct Swedish retailer; and quite a few Hamiltons. Along the way, he also has sold many of his timepieces, including a Rolex Daytona that he purchased from Oliver & Clarke, a vintage watch retailer in Los Angeles, and sold to finance renovations on his home in New York's Riverdale neighborhood, where he lives with his wife, their young son and his mother-in-law. 'He's a very disciplined collector,' Mr. Harkness said. 'If something comes in, something usually has to go out.' Mr. Pelzer said he did have a dozen or so watches in what he called his 'main box' and about 30 more in a safe deposit box. But 'I don't even describe myself as a collector,' he said. 'I just happen to have a bunch of watches. I collect what makes me smile.'
