QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — A man has been accused of murder after a four-alarm fire ripped through a Flushing building last month and killed four people, including a child.
Roman Amatitla, 38, was charged with murder, assault, arson and petit larceny in connection with the fatal fire on March 16.
The blaze engulfed a three-story mixed-use building at 44-49 College Point Blvd. just after noon, forcing people to jump from their upper-floor apartments, according to the FDNY.
In total, there were nine victims, including the four who died, police said. The child killed was just three years old. Her name was Sihan Yang. A 50-year-old man, Chengri Cui, was identified later on as well.
The identities of the other two victims, a 61-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, have not yet been released by authorities.
“Never experienced anything like this. You’ve only see it on television, just seeing it made me cry a lot. It’s really, really devastating,” a witness of the fire told PIX11 News.
Get ongoing crime and safety coverage on our homepage
“This is a difficult and tragic day. There were several victims of this fire,” FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said at the scene on March 16.
Weeks after the fire, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office declared the deaths homicides.
Amatitla was arrested and charged Wednesday afternoon. He is expected to be arraigned in court on Thursday, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.