New York City Police Department announced on April 8th a significant development in the fatal fire case that occurred in Flushing on March 16th, resulting in the death of four individuals. The police arrested a suspect on the afternoon of April 8th at 3:40 p.m., and have charged him with eight counts of murder, as well as multiple felony charges including assault and arson.
The arrested individual is 38-year-old Roman Amatitla, residing on Calamus Avenue in Queens. Authorities have brought forth charges of 8 counts of murder, 12 counts of assault, 8 counts of arson, and 4 counts of petit larceny against him. The case is still under further investigation.
Amatitla was escorted out of the police precinct at 6 p.m. on April 8th, keeping his head down and remaining silent when questioned by reporters about the motive for the arson.
The fire erupted at a three-story residence located at 132-05 Avery Ave in Flushing around 12:30 p.m. on March 16th, escalating to a 4-alarm fire. Three Chinese victims were killed on the scene, including a 3-year-old girl, a 50-year-old man, and a 61-year-old woman, with another 63-year-old man succumbing to injuries after being taken to the hospital. Additionally, four individuals were hospitalized with stable conditions.
Initially, the cause of the fire was being investigated by the Fire Marshal. Following forensic examinations, the medical examiner confirmed on March 27th that the fire was a homicide case, thus transforming the nature of the investigation into a criminal homicide case.
The identities of the deceased have been confirmed by the police, including the 3-year-old girl named Yang Sihan, the 50-year-old man named Cui Chengri, and the 61-year-old woman named Chie Shin Ming. The identity of the deceased 63-year-old male is pending notification to the family before being made public.
This fire marks the deadliest incident in Flushing in recent years. According to city records, the house had long-standing serious safety and management issues. Designated as a “vacant, open, unattended” hazardous building since the beginning of 2026, the damaged front gate could not be locked, leaving it accessible to anyone and lacking basic security measures.
The rear of the first floor and the basement of the residence had been illegally converted into a gambling den for a prolonged period. After the death of property manager Peter Tan, no one collected rent or performed maintenance, causing the property condition to deteriorate steadily, spiraling out of control.
Both families’ houses had been unlawfully divided into at least 7 to 14 units, resembling single-room occupancy (SRO) setups, leading to overcrowding. Residents described the environment inside the building as extremely filthy, littered with garbage, and barely providing any space to move around. The property had accumulated dozens of building violations, some of which remained unaddressed. The city had filed a lawsuit against the owner to recover approximately $300,000 in fines, which remain unpaid to this day. Disputes between the owner and tenants ranged from eviction to allegations of illegal occupancy.