Authorities have arrested a 29-year-old man for maliciously igniting a New Year’s Day fire that smoldered for days and later exploded into the deadly Palisades Fire, believed to be the costliest in California history.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, of Melbourne, Florida, was arrested Tuesday on a federal charge of destruction of property by means of fire, Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli announced at a Wednesday morning news conference. He was due to make his initial appearance in federal court in Florida on Wednesday.
“The complaint alleges that a single person’s recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” Essayli said. “While we cannot bring back what victims lost, we hope this criminal case brings some measure of justice to those affected by this horrific tragedy.”
Jonathan Rinderknecht (DOJ)
Investigators cited digital records that led to the arrest, including evidence that Rinderknecht had generated an AI image using ChatGPT months before the fire, which prosecutors described as a “dystopian painting showing in part a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.”
Rinderknecht is accused of maliciously setting the Lachman Fire shortly after midnight on January 1. This fire, initially believed to be extinguished, instead remained a “holdover” fire underground for nearly a week until Santa Ana winds rekindled the flames on January 7, leading to the massive Palisades Fire.
The Palisades Fire ultimately scorched 23,448 acres, destroyed 6,837 structures, and killed 12 people in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
AI images allegedly created by Jonathan Rinderknecht that show a burning cityscape. (DOJ)
Erupting during the same windstorm, the Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena was part of a “fire siege” event that severely strained local and state resources. The Eaton Fire went on to burn 14,021 acres, destroyed 9,414 structures, and claimed 18 lives.
Initial estimates for the combined insured losses alone were approximately $75 billion, with total losses estimated between $76 billion and $131 billion, making January’s “fire siege” one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history.
Federal investigators said Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver on New Year’s Eve. Two passengers from separate trips told authorities that he “appeared agitated and angry” that night, officials alleged.
After dropping off a passenger in the Pacific Palisades, investigators say Rinderknecht drove toward the Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, attempted to contact a former friend, and walked up the trail.
“He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listened to a rap song – to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days – whose music video included things being lit on fire,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
FILE – The devastation from the Palisades Fire is seen in an aerial view in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Sensors detected the Lachman Fire at that location at 12:12 a.m. on January 1. Rinderknecht called 911 several times over the next five minutes, initially unable to connect due to poor cell phone range, authorities allege. He later connected and reported the fire from the bottom of the hiking trail, and then he drove away.
“Rinderknecht then fled in his car, passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction. He then turned around and followed the fire engines to the scene, driving at a high rate of speed,” the DOJ said. “Rinderknecht walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters.”
According to the criminal complaint, Rinderknecht was interviewed on January 24, where he allegedly lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail when he first saw the fire. Geolocation data from his iPhone, however, allegedly showed he was standing in a clearing only 30 feet from the fire as it began to spread, officials said.
If convicted, Rinderknecht faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
“No measure of justice will ever restore what was lost in the Pacific Palisades, and nothing will ever make this right for the thousands of people who lost everything – lives, homes, jobs, memories, futures,” said L.A. councilwoman Traci Park, whose district encompasses the fire-ravaged neighborhoods. “That this fire was intentionally and maliciously set only enhances our grief and outrage. But this arrest acknowledges to every victim and survivor that what happened matters, that there will be accountability, and that their loss will not be forgotten.”
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