Flushing arson charges
Prosecutors charged a man with murder and arson after a Flushing house fire killed four people and injured seven, including two FDNY firefighters. Authorities say the suspect allegedly set the blaze in rage after being fired, and the Queens DA lodged eight counts including second-degree murder and first-degree arson. ( )
Prosecutors say a Queens man lost his job, walked into a Flushing building he did not live in, and allegedly turned that rage into a fire that killed four people, including a 3-year-old girl. He was charged on April 9 with eight counts of second-degree murder, first-degree arson, and other crimes. (queensda.org) The defendant is Roman Amatitla, whom the Queens District Attorney identified as a Maspeth resident. Prosecutors say he was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court and ordered held without bail. (queensda.org, abc7ny.com) The fire happened on March 16 at 44-49 College Point Boulevard in Flushing, in a mixed-use building with stores on the first floor and apartments above. Fire officials said the call came in just before 12:30 p.m., and the blaze grew into a four-alarm fire. (abc7ny.com, qns.com) Four people died: a 3-year-old girl, a 51-year-old man, a 61-year-old man, and a 62-year-old woman. News reports on the day of the fire said more than a dozen people were hurt, and later charging papers focused on seven injured people, including two New York City Fire Department firefighters. (abc7ny.com, queensda.org) According to prosecutors, this was not a dispute with the tenants or the business owners in the building. District Attorney Melinda Katz said the building was chosen at random and that Amatitla had no known connection to the victims. (abc7ny.com, abcnews.com) The prosecution’s account is unusually specific. Investigators say surveillance video showed Amatitla trying to get into the building, leaving, coming back with a bag and a fuel container, entering again, and then walking out before smoke and flames appeared minutes later. (queensda.org) Prosecutors say he then went to a nearby deli, stole two beers, and stood outside watching the fire. The District Attorney’s office says one victim died from blunt-force injuries after jumping from the building to escape the flames. (queensda.org, nydailynews.com) The scale of the response shows how fast the fire moved. The New York City Fire Department said 74 units and 231 firefighters and emergency medical workers responded, and early coverage described strong wind helping drive the flames through five apartments. (qns.com, abc7ny.com) The murder charges are stacked because New York prosecutors can charge separate counts for separate victims and legal theories tied to the same fire. In this case, the Queens District Attorney said the indictment includes eight second-degree murder counts for four deaths, plus first-degree arson, assault, burglary, and petit larceny. (queensda.org) If convicted on the top count, prosecutors said Amatitla faces 25 years to life in prison. His lawyer entered a not guilty plea at arraignment and said the defense intends to fight the case. (queensda.org, pix11.com)
