Man charged in fatal fire allegedly watched victims jump while sipping beer
FDNY responds to deadly arson fire in New York
A New York man has been charged with multiple murders for allegedly lighting a deadly apartment fire that killed four people and injured several others. (Peter Gerber)
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A New York man faces murder charges after he allegedly opened fire randomly at an apartment building in Queens, killing four people, including a 3-year-old girl, and wounding seven others, authorities announced.
Roman Amatitla, 38, of Maspeth, was arrested Wednesday and arraigned on multiple charges, including eight counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson, in connection with a March 16 fire at a three-story building in Flushing.
If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called the incident an “act of mass murder,” noting Amatitla’s chilling lack of motive.
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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 chose the building at random,” Katz said in a statement. he wrote.
Amatitla was seen entering and exiting the Avery Boulevard building multiple times later that morning, at one point urinating in front of the apartments, according to prosecutors.
He then drove to a nearby gas station, where he bought a beer, stole a second one and grabbed a pack of matches after refusing to pay for a lighter, authorities allege.
FDNY firefighters are seen fighting a fire in New York City on March 16, 2026. (Peter Gerber)
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He then entered the apartment for the fourth and final time, allegedly set fire to a piece of paper and threw it into a trash can next to the stairwell, authorities said.
He stayed in the immediate area to watch the building burn as smoke filled the street.
At Thursday’s hearing, Queens Deputy District Attorney Gabriel Reale said Amatitla “watched people jump out of various windows, some alive, one dying” as he sipped his beer. a report From the New York Post.
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The three people who died in the fire, Sihan Yang (3), Chengri Cui (49) and Shin Chie Ming (61), were found in the building and it was announced that they died of smoke inhalation at the scene.
The fourth victim, 64-year-old Hong Zhao, died at a local hospital after suffering multiple broken bones and brain trauma when he jumped out of a window to escape the flames.
The injured included a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) lieutenant and a firefighter who suffered thermal burns and smoke inhalation when a ladder collapsed during rescue operations and fell into the basement.
There was a huge reaction near the fire that broke out in New York on March 16, 2026. (Peter Gerber)
While four other people who jumped from the building to escape the fire were injured, the fifth person was rescued from the second floor window by firefighters.
Prosecutors said Amatitla “had to take out his anger on someone or something,” but no official motive has yet been released.
New York City Police Department records indicate he is from Mexico, but his immigration status has not yet been confirmed.
On March 16, 2026, smoke was seen coming out of the building’s windows as FDNY firefighters battled the fire. (Peter Gerber)
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not immediately respond to questions from Fox News Digital.
Amatitla was taken into custody by Criminal Court Judge Thomas Wright-Fernandez and is scheduled to return to court on April 13.
