FDNY responds to deadly arson fire in NYC
A New York City resident has been charged with multiple counts of murder following allegations that he started a deadly fire in an apartment building, resulting in four deaths and several injuries.
The man, identified as 38-year-old Roman Amatitla from Maspeth, is accused of setting the fire on March 16 in a three-story apartment complex in Flushing, Queens. The blaze tragically claimed the lives of four individuals, including a 3-year-old girl, and left seven others injured. Authorities disclosed these charges on Wednesday, highlighting the severity of the incident.
Amatitla has been arraigned on numerous charges, which include eight counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson. If found guilty, he could face a prison sentence ranging from 25 years to life.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz described the event as an “act of mass murder,” emphasizing the disturbing nature of the crime, which appeared to lack any clear motive.
In images released, Roman Amatitla is shown being escorted in handcuffs, underscoring the gravity of the accusations against him.
Roman Amatitla was seen being transported in handcuffs. (WNYW)
“Shockingly, the defendant had no known connection to the building or any of its occupants and selected the building at random,” Katz wrote in a statement.
According to prosecutors, Amatitla was seen entering and exiting the Avery Avenue building multiple times late that morning, at one point urinating in front of the apartments.
He then went to a nearby gas station, where he bought a beer, stole a second one, and took a pack of matches after refusing to pay for a lighter, authorities allege.
FDNY firefighters were seen battling the New York City blaze on March, 16, 2026. (Peter Gerber)
He then entered the apartment building for a fourth and final time, authorities said, allegedly lighting a piece of paper on fire and tossing it onto trash near a stairwell.
As smoke engulfed the street, he stayed in the immediate area to watch the building burn.
During a court hearing on Thursday, Queens Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Reale said Amatitla “watched as people jumped from various windows, some of them living, one of them dying” while sipping on a beer, according to a report from the New York Post.
Three of the people killed in the blaze, identified as Sihan Yang, 3, Chengri Cui, 49, and Shin Chie Ming, 61, were found in the building and pronounced dead at the scene from smoke inhalation.
A fourth victim, Hong Zhao, 64, died at a local hospital after suffering multiple broken bones and brain trauma when he leaped from a window to escape the flames.
Among those injured were a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) lieutenant and a firefighter who plunged into the basement when a staircase collapsed during rescue operations, resulting in thermal burns and smoke inhalation.
A large response was seen near the March 16, 2026 fire in New York City. (Peter Gerber)
Four other occupants were injured jumping from the building to flee the fire, while a fifth was rescued from a second-story window by firefighters.
Prosecutors said Amatitla “had to get his rage out on someone or something,” though no official motive has been released.
New York City Police Department records note he is from Mexico, though his immigration status has not been confirmed.
Smoke was seen coming through the windows of the building as FDNY firefighters battled the blaze on March, 16, 2026. (Peter Gerber)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
Amatitla was remanded into custody by Criminal Court Judge Thomas Wright-Fernandez and is scheduled to return to court on April 13.
