Family member arrested after teen killed in 'suspicious' Sterling Heights house fire

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WJBK) - Sterling Heights Police say they have arrested a 20-year-old family member in connection with a suspicious house fire that killed a 17-year-old boy early Friday morning. Sources tell FOX 2 the family member is the victim's older brother.

The fire started around 3 a.m. at their home in the 4200 block of Bloomingdale Drive, which is near 19 Mile and Ryan roads. A 911 call was made saying someone was trapped inside.

When firefighters got to the home, they found the 17-year-old in his upstairs bedroom. The fire had started underneath his room.

The teen was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He has been identified as Matthew Marroki-Yaldo.

"It's tough when we lose a life. We do everything we can to try and get them out and save them but sometimes that doesn't happen," says Sterling Heights Fire Battalion Chief Mark Docherty.

Teen killed in 'suspicious' Sterling Heights house fire in middle of the night

We're told matthew's sister had to jump from a second story window to escape the flames. She, along with her mother and father, were all rushed to the hospital for smoke inhalation. The father has since been transferred because his injuries were more severe than originally thought.

"When I came out there was people screaming. I heard the father screaming for his son and the woman screaming for, I guess it was the brother. It was not nice," says Dan Susin, a neighbor.

Meanwhile, sources tell us an older brother was also home at the time of the fire, and that he is the person police have in custody for starting the fire.

"I don't know about this arson thing. who knows. I can't imagine why someone, a motive and stuff; who knows why that would happen here," says Susin.

Investigators believe the fire was set in the den of the home with some type of accelerant. They're not elaborating on the details just yet.

Marroki-Yaldo attended Stevenson High School. He's described as a smart, kind kid who had a bright future ahead of him.

Police are still investigating and have not yet submitted a report to the prosecutor's office for possible charges.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 2 for updates.