One of Roman Amatitla\u2019s victims died not from smoke or burns but from blunt-force injuries he suffered when he jumped from the burning building targeted at random on Avery Ave. near College Point Blvd. in Flushing in a desperate attempt to escape, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
| MORE: Why 20 years of firefighting may be enough for me<\/a><\/p>\n Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called the deadly arson \u201can act of mass murder\u201d and \u201cone of the greatest crimes that this borough has seen in a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n Amatitla was furious over losing his job in the food industry when he wandered into the building, which he has no known ties to, on March 16. He set a piece of paper on fire and dropped it onto a pile of rubbish atop a garbage can by the base of the front stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said he had to get his rage out on someone or something,\u201d Queens Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Reale said at Amatitla\u2019s arraignment Thursday.<\/p>\n After allegedly setting the fire, he watched it spread, then stepped outside and watched as residents raced out. He sat on the curb, drinking a stolen beer, as the inferno raged and victims fought for their lives, prosecutors say.<\/p>\n He even watched as the mother of 3-year-old Sihan Yang scream in anguish after being told her daughter died in the fire, Reale said.<\/p>\n More than a dozen squatters were living in the building at the time of the fire, authorities believe.<\/p>\n In addition to the toddler, Chengri Cui, a 49-year-old man, and Chie Shin Ming , a 61-year-old woman, died at the scene from smoke inhalation.<\/p>\n Hong Zhao, 64, was rushed to a local hospital, where he died of blunt-force trauma after jumping from the building.<\/p>\n Amatitla was seen repeatedly entering and leaving the building before setting the blaze, even urinating in front of it, according to prosecutors.<\/p>\n Cops arrested Amatitla on Wednesday, charging him with multiple counts of murder, assault and arson. He was also charged with petty larceny for swiping the beer from a nearby BP gas station.<\/p>\n When he stepped into the gas station convenience store before setting the fire, he bought one beer and swiped another without paying, Reale said. He also asked for a lighter but when told he\u2019d have to pay for it asked for a book of matches, which was free.<\/p>\n He motive for setting the fire was \u201cbased on rage,\u201d Reale said.<\/p>\n When he ignited the blaze, he heard residents upstairs but went ahead anyway, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n \u201c(He said) that when he was lighting the fire that he had been in a fight at work and that he knew lighting the fire was going to cause harm to someone, but he did it because he needed to get the anger out,\u201d court papers say.<\/p>\n After cops took him into custody, Amatitla, who lives in Maspeth, admitted he had entered the building but claimed he didn\u2019t set it ablaze. He ultimately made statements implicating himself in the crime, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n Before his arrest, Amatitla, who has ties to Mexico, fled to Connecticut for a short time. He was arrested on his return home, cops said.<\/p>\n Judge Thomas Wright-Fernandez ordered Amatitla held without bail. Dressed in a turquoise hoodie and slides, Amatitla said nothing as prosecutors outlined their case.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat led up to the fire is really quite disturbing,\u201d Katz said at a press conference after the arraignment. \u201cWe alleged that he put a piece of paper that was on fire into a garbage, and just let it burn. And he intentionally let it burn. And four people were killed.\u201d<\/p>\n Seven surviving residents \u2014 three women and four men, ranging in age from 33 to 67 \u2014 were treated for a host of injuries.<\/p>\n Along with Zhao, four other residents were captured on video leaping from windows to escape the flames.<\/p>\n One man who jumped was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury and severe burns. Another resident who jumped from a third-floor window was hospitalized with broken ribs and severe pain to their foot. They were still having trouble walking several weeks later, according to court documents.<\/p>\n As an FDNY lieutenant and firefighter entered the home to make rescues, the staircase collapsed and the pair fell to the basement. They were taken to Jacobi Medical Center , where they were treated for burns and smoke inhalation, court records show.<\/p>\n Katz said that Amititla lost a job \u201cin the food processing industry\u201d before he decided to set the fire.<\/p>\n It remains unclear why the suspect targeted that particular building.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as we can tell, right now, there\u2019s no connection to the individuals at the location. However, it is part of our investigation to look into why that location,\u201d Katz said.<\/p>\n \u201cAll we know is that we have proof that he walked into that house, set it on fire, and watched as it burned, drinking some beers.\u201d<\/p>\n The suspect\u2019s lawyer asked the judge and public to remember that \u201ca charge is not a conviction.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe intend to vigorously represent him,\u201d defense attorney Vivian Cedeno said after the bail hearing. \u201cI would ask that we let the legal system play out because right now he is presumed innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n On the day of the fire, horrified neighbors saw flames shooting out windows as terrified residents leapt from the building.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething blew up,\u201d Wadud Mohammad told the Daily News shortly after the fire. Mohammad, 59, works at a local gas station. \u201cThe whole roof was on fire. People were jumping from the building. Others were running across the street.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the blaze, the city Department of Buildings slapped a partial vacate order on the address because the owner had subdivided the second and third floors<\/a> into multiple dwellings, officials said.<\/p>\n Neighbors said that the building had long been poorly maintained.<\/p>\n \u201cThat building is chaos,\u201d said the 30-year-old worker, who would only identify himself as Eric. \u201cThe door is always open, like anyone can just walk in. No one was taking care of that house.\u201d<\/p>\n Department of Buildings records indicate an inspection of the Avery Ave. address in 2020 revealed the owner improperly converted the two-family building into a seven-family building \u201cby creating five additional single-room occupancies and nine additional bedrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n Inspectors found the rooms \u201cwith key-locking devices, bed, TV, cooking equipment, refrigerators and food items in rooms,\u201d before the partial vacate order was put in place, city records show.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n In Terre Haute, where call volume is rising and about 20% are non-urgent, the Crosswalk to Care program connects low-acuity callers to nurse-guided care, easing strain on EMS\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n Experts warn that the agency\u2019s plan to close most of its research facilities could disrupt critical wildfire and climate data, undermine firefighting efforts and deepen a broader erosion of federal science capacity\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n An internal report into a 2023 blaze that killed two firefighters found equipment failures, extreme heat and a lack of modern tactics\n <\/p>\n April 10, 2026 10:36 AM<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n Survey responses reveal divide on industry culture, hiring standards and the future of operations\n <\/p>\n April 10, 2026 10:54 AM<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a92026 New York Daily News.![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775924829_904_.jpeg\")
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