Queens man charged with murder, arson for fire that killed 4
QUEENS - The NYPD has arrested a suspect accused of setting a fire at a Queens apartment building that killed four people last month.
Queens fire suspect arrested
What we know:
Police arrested 38-year-old Roman Amatitla on Wednesday, April 8. Amatitla has been charged with murder, arson, assault and petit larceny in connection with the fire.
Roman Amatitla
The backstory:
The fire happened on March 16 at an apartment building on Avery Avenue in Flushing.
Firefighters responded to the building to find heavy flames. Crews reported seeing three people jump from an upper floor as the flames spread.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Queens fire that killed 4 ruled a homicide: Police
After the fire was put out, firefighters found three people, a 3-year-old girl, a 50-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman, dead inside. Paramedics also brought a 63-year-old man to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled the fire a homicide.
Two victims identified
Dig deeper:
So far, two of the four victims have been identified. Three-year-old Sihan Yang and 50-year-old Chengri Cui were among those found dead in the building.
What we don't know:
Officials have not released the identities of the other two victims.
The Fire Marshal is still working to determine the exact cause of the fire.
What's next:
Amatitla is being held without bail.
The Source: Information in this story is from the NYPD and previous FOX 5 NY reports.