An illegal alien has been accused of intentionally starting a fire in New York City that left four people dead and seven others injured. Though an alleged mass murderer, he may yet dodge federal immigration authorities, thanks to NYC officials.
Around 11:43 a.m. on March 16, Roman Amatitla, a 38-year-old Mexican in the U.S. illegally, allegedly set fire to a three-story building in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens and then, according to the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, stood by and "watched as the building burned."
'An act of mass murder.'
Firefighters discovered three deceased victims in the building: 49-year-old male Chengri Cui, 61-year-old female Shin Chie Ming, and Sihan Yang, a 3-year-old little girl. All three died from smoke inhalation, Katz's office said.
A fourth victim, 64-year-old male Hong Zhao, escaped the fire by jumping out of a window but sustained catastrophic injuries in the fall, including broken bones and head trauma. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Katz's office.
Seven others — including two firefighters, who endured a terrifying sudden fall to the basement when a stairway collapsed beneath them — were also injured on account of the fire.
The steps that the suspect allegedly took just before setting the fire are bone-chilling. According to the report from Katz, Amatitla:
As smoke began to billow out onto the street, Amatitla allegedly "stayed in the immediate area and watched the fire consume the building," Katz's office said. The DA characterized the deadly fire as "an act of mass murder."
Authorities believe that the suspect selected the building entirely at random, as he "had no known connection to the building or any of its occupants."
Amatitla has been charged with eight counts of murder in the second degree, arson in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, and petit larceny.
Despite the severity of his alleged crimes, the Department of Homeland security claims that the NYC Department of Corrections has refused to honor a request to turn him over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
"ICE ARREST DETAINER DENIED. On April 14, ICE requested the NYCDOC not release this monster from jail back into American communities. However, because of New York’s sanctuary politicians, the NYCDOC told ICE that they will REFUSE to cooperate," the DHS tweeted Friday afternoon along with an image of what appears to be the detainer request.
"This monster set fire to a building and watched as innocent people, including a three-year-old, burned to death. New York City sanctuary politicians REFUSE to cooperate with ICE and are choosing to RELEASE this MURDERER onto New York streets," DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
In a response to Blaze News, the DA's office sidestepped questions about the city's cooperation with federal authorities and said only that "the defendant is remanded and is due back in court on May 12."
An NYCDOC spokesperson told Blaze News: "The DOC processes ICE detainers consistent with local law, which defines the extent of our cooperation with federal immigration authorities."
A source familiar with the matter indicated that the NYCDOC notifies ICE about a defendant's possible release only if certain ICE warrants have been issued or the defendant has been convicted of a serious and/or violent crime within the last five years.
The DHS and the respective offices of Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) did not respond to a request for comment.
As of Monday morning, Amatitla remains in custody, NYCDOC records confirm. The jail records also note that an immigration detainer has been lodged against him.
RELATED: Mamdani nailed with backlash over comments about shooting death of 7-month-old baby girl
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CNN's chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, was ridiculed after she posted an unhinged response to criticism from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth compared some of the mainstream media to the Pharisees of the Bible during a media briefing Thursday morning.
'You have *never* been in the United States military, and you should be absolutely drummed out of journalism for attempting to equivocate (sic) yourself to an [actual] member of the military.'
Amanpour fired back in a lengthy rant on social media, where she appeared to claim that she had a similar rank as Hegseth when he left the military.
"Using the Pentagon podium to lash out at journalists in extreme biblical terms is unprecedented, misguided, and frankly wrong on the substance," she wrote.
"Ever since Sunday School Catholic classes, I have been well aware of the Scribes and the Pharisees. They were the bad guys against Jesus, the good guy ... in current U.S. good v evil war parlance. Bearing witness to the truth is what we journalists are commanded to do, without fear nor favor," she added.
Hegseth pointed out that the Pharisees had ignored the miracles that Jesus Christ was performing and instead waited to catch him breaking the laws of the Old Testament. He compared that to the media ignoring the president's accomplishments to criticize him.
"I am also well aware of the Ten Commandments, and therefore urge any government radical anywhere, to follow the 9th ... against bearing false witness," Amanpour continued.
"And finally an observation: the current Secretary of War, f/k/a Defence, left the military with the rank of Major," she added. "I recall my dogtag in the first Gulf war had the rank of major ... the very same rank. Just sayin'!" she concluded.
She was immediately mocked online for the bizarre statement.
"Read the last paragraph, folks. If @CNN had any editorial standards, Christiane Amanpour would be fired for her bizarre attack on @SecWar's military service," one response reads. "Why is a journalist mocking the rank of major, which @PeteHegseth earned while risking his life in Iraq & Afghanistan?"
RELATED: Hegseth goes viral for 'Pulp Fiction' prayer at the Pentagon
"A Major, really? Perhaps, a major pain in the ass, but definitely not Major," another user said.
"You have *never* been in the United States military, and you should be absolutely drummed out of journalism for attempting to equivocate (sic) yourself to an [actual] member of the military. Quite literally the definition of stolen valor," another detractor said.
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After years of controversy over the name and logo of the Washington, D.C., professional football team, its newest version was revealed on Wednesday to even more controversy.
The team adapted its Washington Commanders logo to include a spear running through it, apparently in reference to the previous Redskins logo and name.
'It is time to stop repeating this cycle and listen to Native Peoples who have been clear, consistent, and unwavering on this issue: We are not your mascot.'
"Spear and W interweave at their centers, a powerful joining of past and present," reads a post from the team on social media. "A design that captures the forward-focused spirit of the Commander, a leader of warriors."
The Association on American Indian Affairs released a statement to USA Today opposing the logo.
"The Washington Commanders' decision to update their logo is disappointing and inappropriate to say the least," the statement reads. "It is time to stop repeating this cycle and listen to Native Peoples who have been clear, consistent, and unwavering on this issue: We are not your mascot."
The National Congress of American Indians also opposed the new logo.
"The new alternate logo, released by the franchise this week, purports to join the past and present," the group said in a statement. "NCAI maintains that any prideful nod to a harmful past, even one that may appear harmless on its face, can carry an insidious message and is therefore harmful."
Others have previously called for the return of the Redskins name and logo.
Thomas White Calf told the New York Times that the former name and logo were patterned after his late uncle, Two Guns White Calf. He said restoring the old logo would honor his family and the Native American community.
"Cancel-culture racists decided at some point they wanted to get rid of Indian images in the public domain. The Redskins and Two Guns were their No. 1 target," he said in Aug. 2025.
RELATED: Family of tribal chief who inspired Redskins logo calls for team to bring his 'proud' image back
The USA Today report included a statement of support for the new spear logo from the Native American Guardians Association.
"It's encouraging to have a small piece of Native imagery represented again, honoring the deep connection between Native heritage and America's sports traditions," said the group's president, Becky Clayton-Anderson.
Indigenous scholar Marcus Briggs-Cloud, on the other hand, said that "the image harkens back to European contrived imaginaries of the noble savage that reduce Indigenous Peoples to identities rooted in violence."
The NFL draft begins on Thursday, while the next season is scheduled to begin on Sept. 9.
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A woman who wore an inflatable phallic costume to protest against the Trump administration beat all charges at a Fairhope court in Alabama.
Police body-camera footage captured the moment that an officer pushed a 62-year-old grandmother to the ground at a No Kings protest after she refused to take off the costume on Oct. 20, 2025.
'We have some growing and relearning to do about the rights the citizens of this town have.'
The officer told Renea Gamble that the costume was offensive at the time, but her defense attorney argued in court Wednesday that the arrest violated her constitutional right to free speech.
He also pointed out that the officer did not at the time accuse her of causing a traffic hazard, which is what she was charged with.
"He just found her to be offensive," David Gespass said to reporters outside of the courthouse. "I mean again, that’s all he talked about when he was testifying was ... not when he was testifying, when he was confronting her was, 'I’m not going to put up with this in my town.' He said nothing about her causing any problems with traffic."
On the other side, city attorney Marcus McDowell argued that no one had the "constitutional right to wear a seven-foot penis costume on the side of the road."
Fairhope Municipal Judge Haymes Snedeker found the penis lady not guilty on three charges and dropped the charge related to causing a traffic hazard.
He also found that the officer had probable cause to arrest Gamble but that there was not enough evidence to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Gamble celebrated the ruling outside the courthouse.
"We have some growing and relearning to do about the rights the citizens of this town have," Gamble said. "They happen to be on par with the rest of the nation and as Alabamians, we dare to defend our rights, and this fight is not over!"
RELATED: VIDEO: Female No Kings protester wearing phallic costume tossed to the ground by cop
Gespass said that Gamble's civil rights had been violated and suggested that they may file a lawsuit over the incident.
Some of the locals said they were disappointed in the verdict, while others said the embarrassing story had put a national spotlight on the city.
Before she was arrested at the protest, in keeping with the theme of her costume, Gamble held a sign with a message opposing dictators, but with an extra letter added to make the message explicit.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. corrected the record during his testimony before Congress on Friday morning after Democrat lawmakers spread false information about the Trump administration's health care policies.
'It is the Democratic policy to benefit billionaires.'
Kennedy appeared before the House Education and Workforce Committee to answer questions about the HHS' priorities.
Following his opening statement, Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) posed the first question to Kennedy, asking whether he was "responsible for the measles outbreak."
Kennedy acknowledged that he had been accused of that but said the accusation was "not science-based."
"The measles outbreak began in January 2025, before I took office. ... The measles outbreak is not an American phenomenon; it is global," he replied.
He explained that in 2025, the U.S. had approximately 2,200 measles cases, while Mexico had more than three times that amount, despite having one-third of the U.S. population. Canada reportedly had twice as many cases, even though its population is just one-eighth of that of the U.S. In Europe, the number of cases was nearly 10 times that in the U.S., despite having twice the U.S. population, Kennedy said.
RELATED: 'Truly a fool's errand': Top CDC adviser, RFK Jr. ally resigns from vaccine panel
"Two little girls died tragically in the Mennonite community in Texas. Mennonites have not vaccinated since 1796. So, this has nothing to do with me," Kennedy stated.
He mentioned attending the funeral of one child and spending the day with the family of the other.
"Both of them told me that when they took their children to the hospital, they were treated as pariahs. They were shamed. They were not given proper treatment. Both families believed their daughters, and their own doctors believe, their daughters could have been saved if the hospital gave them proper treatment," Kennedy continued.
"There's a lot of people in this country who, for religious reasons or other reasons, are not gonna vaccinate. And I believe that we need to treat them with compassion and understanding and empathy and get them the treatments they would get anywhere else in the world except for this country," he added.
Kennedy was later questioned by Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who pressed the secretary about "kicking 15 million Americans off of their affordable health care."
"Have you met with everyday Americans who have lost their health insurance just this last year?" Casar asked.
"I meet with everyday Americans every day," Kennedy replied. He also noted that he spoke with the advocacy community "on virtually everything that we regulate" and "more tribes and tribal leaders than any HHS secretary in history."
Casar then asked whether Kennedy had met with Americans who would be impacted this year by "cuts to Medicaid."
"There are no cuts to Medicaid. ... We are increasing Medicaid spending by 47% over the next 10 years. ... How is that a cut? That is only a cut in Washington, D.C.," Kennedy responded.
RELATED: 'Rogue' Biden judge blocks critical pieces of RFK Jr.'s vaccine reform
Casar ignored Kennedy's comments and pushed forward with his line of questioning.
"Have you met with any of the 1.4 million people who have lost their health insurance just this last year from dropping off of Obamacare?" he asked.
"They're almost all illegal immigrants. ... We found 1.5 million illegal immigrants illegally collecting Medicaid," Kennedy remarked.
Casar attempted to corner Kennedy into admitting he had dedicated time to meet with billionaires but not with everyday Americans. However, Kennedy repeatedly denied this and turned it back around on Casar by slamming Democrats for Obamacare.
"It is the Democratic policy to benefit billionaires," Kennedy said. "The insurance companies' stocks raised by 1,000% after Obamacare was passed. The money was not going to Americans; it was going to them."
"It was you who did it," Kennedy declared.
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Shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked, the public saw just how far pro-abortion activists were willing to go to try and stop the court from overturning Roe v. Wade after a would-be assassin was arrested outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home. But the attempt on Kavanaugh’s life […]
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