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:

entered and exited the targeted building multiple times that morning,urinated on the outside of it,crossed the street to the gas station and purchased one beer and stole another,asked the gas station clerk for a lighter, but since lighters were available only for purchase, settled for a book of matches, and thenreturned to the building, lit a piece of paper on fire, and placed the burning paper atop garbage near the stairwell.

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.”

RELATED: ‘Monster’ suspected of brutally murdering DHS employee walking her dog is an immigrant naturalized under Biden, DHS says

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Getty Images

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

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Getty Images

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​Roman amatitla, Queens, Melinda katz, Nyc, Mamdani, Hochul, Ice, Nycdoc, Politics 

I always liked team sports, so when I got old enough, I signed up for senior softball.

At our first game, I showed up with an old mitt and a small aluminum bat I dug out of my sister’s garage. I didn’t really know what level senior softball was going to be. I figured this mitt and bat would be good enough. If not, I could upgrade.

Another guy couldn’t seem to get a hit with it. He seemed perplexed and somewhat disturbed that there was a special bat for old people.

That bat, it turned out, was for girls. Like girls ages 8 to 12. It was about a foot shorter than a normal bat.

I didn’t know this at the time. I leaned it against the wall in the dugout. When the coach saw it, he turned toward us players: “Whose bat is this?!”

I admitted it was mine. He glared at me and said, “Get this thing out of here! If you don’t have a real bat, borrow one from the other guys!”

I grabbed the bat, hurried to my car, and stashed it in the trunk.

Magic stick

So then I had to borrow another guy’s bat. I didn’t know anyone on the team yet. I wasn’t sure how to go about it.

The other bats looked pretty high-tech. Most of them looked new. I didn’t want to scuff up somebody’s brand-new bat. Fortunately, when it was my turn at the plate, one of the guys handed me his.

I hadn’t played softball in many years, so I was pretty nervous. The first pitch came, and I swung late and hit a bloop single over the first baseman’s head.

I hadn’t hit it very hard. I was surprised the ball went so far. I ran to first base. I had my first hit.

The next time I was up, I used that same bat, and this time I made solid contact. The ball flew over the shortstop’s head. It went farther than I’d ever hit a softball. It was almost unnatural how far it went. It was like magic.

‘We have the technology’

Later, I asked the guy about his bat. He said it was a senior softball bat. All the bats in the dugout were senior softball bats. That’s what everybody had.

When I went up a third time, I hit a grounder. But it bounced hard and skipped passed the third basemen for another hit.

Back in the dugout, I asked a different guy, “What’s up with these bats?” He said it was a special design. Senior softball bats were made of advanced materials. They were more flexible. The bat gave a little when it made contact. And then the ball “trampolined” off it with extra force.

He showed me the little inscription on the bat that said it was specifically authorized by Senior Softball-USA, the world’s largest senior softball association.

“Wow,” I said. “So we have our own bats.”

“Yes, we do,” he answered.

Sweet spot

At the next game, another guy showed up with a bunch of old senior softball bats he wasn’t using anymore. He had brought them for me. If I liked one of them, I could buy it from him.

He told me to try them out, see which one I liked. The first one I tried, I blasted a base hit between the outfielders. “I’ll take this one,” I told him.

And the next week, I gave him a hundred bucks.

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Pierre Lahalle/Getty Images

Softball shaman

Once I saw how fun senior softball was, I tried to find ways to get extra practice. A younger woman I knew invited me to a pickup game she played in.

These were young people, mostly in their 20s and 30s. They were good players, much better than I was.

When it came time for me to bat, I used my new senior softball bat and hit a deep ball into left field. Everyone was like, “Wow, you really got a hold of that one.”

The next time I was up, I hit another deep ball. People were surprised, shocked even.

“It’s the bat,” I told them. “It’s a senior softball bat.”

They had never heard of such a thing. They wanted to see it. I showed them the little inscription that said: Senior Softball-USA.

“It’s a special design,” I said. “It’s bouncier. Like a trampoline.”

They all felt the bat. They studied it. It didn’t look any different than their bats.

“Try it,” I told them. So they did. One guy, who could already hit the ball a mile, hit the ball a mile.

Another guy couldn’t seem to get a hit with it. He seemed perplexed and somewhat disturbed that there was a special bat for old people.

Another guy got a solid hit, but he didn’t seem particularly impressed. All these guys were really good hitters to start with. My special bat didn’t seem to do that much for them.

I said, “Maybe you have to be a senior to activate the technology.”

Team dream

I made it through that first season. It was a great experience. And being around my teammates reminded me how much skill and competence your average person over 50 represents.

Like the senior softball bat: They had integrated this new technology into their sport in just the right amount. It didn’t significantly alter the game; it just made it a little more fun.

But being on a team. That was the best part. I’ve been a writer all my life. Sitting in a room. By myself. Thinking my thoughts.

What a relief to be with the guys. On a beautiful spring day. In the dugout. With my magic bat.

​Lifestyle, Senior softball, Sports, Men, Aging, Bats, Blake’s progress