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NYC man charged with setting deadly fire said he needed to ‘get out his rage’ after losing job
Prosecutors say Roman Amatitla set the blaze after losing his job, and surveillance video shows him buying matches and beer before the fire.
- Police arrested 38-year-old Roman Amatitla on April 8 and charged him with murder, arson, and assault in connection with a March 16 fire at 132-05 Avery Avenue in Flushing that killed four people, including a 3-year-old.
- Prosecutors allege Amatitla ignited trash in the stairwell to "get out his rage" after being fired from his job, then watched the blaze spread while drinking a beer outside. Surveillance video captured the sequence, according to the criminal complaint.
- City records show the property had accumulated over 50 Department of Buildings violations since 2020, including illegal apartment conversions and a partial vacate order. Residents previously reported debris-blocked stairways and unsafe, overcrowded conditions.
- Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called the incident "pandemonium" and one of the borough's greatest crimes. Council Member Sandra Ung commended the office's "swift and thorough work" in bringing charges.
- The fire killed 3-year-old Sihan Yang, 50-year-old Chengri Cui, and two others whose identities remain pending. Amatitla is held without bail, with his next court appearance scheduled for April 13.
34 Articles
34 Articles
The Toronto Star
NYC man charged with setting deadly fire said he needed to ‘get out his rage’ after losing job
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City man has been charged in the death of four people, including a toddler, after setting fire to a residential building last month
Associated Press News
NYC man charged with setting deadly fire said he needed to 'get out his rage' after losing job
A New York City man has been charged in the deaths of four people, including a toddler, who died after a fire broke out in a residential building last month.
Man angry over job loss randomly burns down NYC building, killing 4: complaint
The man who allegedly set fire to a mixed-use building in Queens last month, killing a 3-year-old girl and three adults, and injuring others, chose it as a random outlet for his job frustration — and drank a beer as he watched the three-story structure burn, prosecutors said Thursday. Nearly a half-dozen people jumped out of different windows of that Avery Avenue building to escape that March 16 fire, according to a criminal complaint. One of th…
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