Queens Boy Dies In Suspicious House Fire, Neighbors Say Family Held Bizzare Candlelit 'Yoruba' Rituals

A nine-year-old boy was killed after a fire ripped through his Queens home, where his family allegedly held bizarre candlelit religious rituals.

Officers said firefighters found Matthew Pichardo unconscious inside the multi-family home at 69-37 Hillmeyer Avenue in Far Rockaway at 6.25 a.m Sunday, reported New York Post.

Though Pichardo and three others were rushed to St. Johns Hospital, the boy succumbed to his injuries. The other three are said to be in stable condition.

The house fire was deemed suspicious, and authorities are investigating whether it was a case of arson, NY Daily News reported citing sources. Neighbors, however, blamed the blaze on the family's religious rituals based on African "Yoruba" beliefs.

According to a neighbor, the boy’s family regularly used lit candles and practiced animal sacrifices.

"I see them killing animals, sitting in a circle with their hands over their eyes, pouring the blood right where the fire started," building owner Chezy Fishback was quoted as saying by New York Post. "They do this all the time. All weekend, killing animals," Fishback added.

Another neighbor also said the family practiced the rituals every night. "The beat, the drum. This is from Africa, where I’m from. But no one does this anymore," the neighbor told The Post.

FDNY officials found at least 20 votive candles in the kitchen and yard. There were also crates of live animals, naked life-sized dolls, objects that looked like animal bones, and other paraphernalia. There was also a small shrine inside the fire-ravaged house, reported Daily News.

Meanwhile, the deceased child's uncle Francisco Lopez told New York Post that he tried to save Matthew from the fire. Admitting that he practiced Yoruba, Lopez said he was woken up by his sister Vanessa Nieves.

"My sister came banging on my door about 6:20 this morning, screaming," Lopez told The Post. "She said, ‘He’s trapped! I can’t get him out of the bed! I can’t see, really dark smoke."

"I ran to her door on the opposite side of the house," Lopez said, adding: "And the fire was at her door. I got the fire extinguisher and ran back but it didn’t do anything. I emptied the whole thing but the flames were too large."

Lopez said he smashed the bedroom window using a golf club to save the child, but the flames shot out. However, he said he was clueless as to how the fire began.