Man accused of starting deadly Palisades Fire arrested

LOS ANGELES - A 29-year-old man was arrested in Florida in connection with the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people in January.

Federal prosecutors accuse Jonathan Rinderknecht of deliberately igniting an 8-acre fire along the Skull Rock Trail in Pacific Palisades. GPS and phone data link the Uber driver to the fire’s starting point, according to court documents.

Jonathan Rinderknecht in custody

What we know:

The suspect, Jonathan Rinderknecht, was arrested Tuesday on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January, Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced during a press conference on Wednesday. 

"We will prove beyond a reasonable doubt he intentionally set this fire," Essayli said.

He is accused of starting a fire in the early morning hours on New Year's Day — known as the Lachman Fire. Firefighters initially put out, the initial blaze, but is believed to have been re-ignited by fierce winds that occurred on Jan. 7.

Though firefighters initially suppressed the blaze, it smoldered underground for days. On Jan. 7, strong winds reignited the fire, fueling the Palisades Fire that consumed over 23,000 acres.

Officials said among the evidence collected from his digital devices was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a dystopian painting showing a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.

"While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy," Essayli said.

Officials added that the allegations are supported by Rinderknecht's cell phone, his false statements to law enforcement, and his behavior during the Lachman Fire.

Residents expressed mixed emotions following the arrest. "It’s definitely a difficult day for us to have to face that yes, this is the reality," said Jessica Rogers. "Somebody wanted to harm us and that’s what caused this fire."

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Rinderknecht familiar with Palisades area

Dig deeper:

Officials said Rinderknecht lived in the Palisades and was familiar with the area.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom called the arrest a step forward towards justice for lives impacted by the blaze. "I’m glad he was arrested," said Mayor Bass. "It’s a step forward to justice." "Facts need to be pursued without any bias or political interference," said Governor Newsom. "I just want to know the facts period. Then we can judge culpability."

According to authorities, Rinderknecht at the time was working as an Uber driver. The night of the fire, two of his passengers allegedly told local law enforcement that Rinderknecht appeared agitated and angry after dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades. 

Officials said Rinderknecht parked his car and tried to contact a former friend, who did not pick up his call. He got out of his car, walked up a nearby trail, took videos on his iPhone at a nearby hilltop, and listened to a rap song which had a music video including objects being lit on fire.

"The defendant had listened to this song and watched its music video repeatedly in the days leading up to the Lachman Fire," Essayli said.

Just 12 minutes into the new year, environmental sensing platforms indicated a fire had ignited. 

Officials said it took Rinderknecht "several tries to contact 911 to report the fire."

Rinderknecht fled the scene of the original fire, but returned to the same trail where he’d been earlier to watch it burn, Essayli said. During an interview with investigators, he lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, Essayli said.

Authorities first interviewed Rinderknecht on Jan. 24, according to the criminal complaint. He told them he had been in the area on Jan. 1 and did not see anyone else in the area at that time.

Investigators excluded other possibilities, including fireworks, lightning and power lines. Authorities also looked into whether a cigarette could’ve caused the fire, but concluded that was not the cause, the complaint says.

Palisades Fire cause not yet determined

What we don't know:

Essayli declined to say how investigators believe Rinderknecht started the Jan. 1 fire.

Investigators have not determined the cause of the Palisades Fire or the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the community of Altadena.

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Most destructive wildfire in LA city history

The backstory:

The Palisades Fire was one of two wind-driven wildfires that started on Jan. 7. 

Together with the Eaton Fire, at least 30 people were killed, more than 16,000 structures were destroyed and nearly 60,000 acres were burned.

The city’s after-action report, released Wednesday, highlighted failures during the fire response. The city claims low water pressure from thousands of open hydrants and residential pipes hampered firefighting efforts. In addition, a simultaneous fire that morning in Hollywood overwhelmed radio channels, causing confusion among first responders. Despite warnings of extreme fire weather, the Los Angeles Fire Department was not fully activated due to budget and staffing constraints.

An outside review released in September found that a lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings. Nine months after the blaze, much of the affected area remains devastated. Residents say Rinderknecht’s arrest marks the beginning of accountability for the tragedy that reshaped their community.

The report commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors said a series of weaknesses, including "outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities," hampered the county’s response.

"What happened between January 1st and January 7th?" said Sahel Amani. "How did a small fire, that he deliberately started, continue for 7 days and burn a whole town?" Amani added, "We need more answers. Why wasn’t the city more prepared with water, resources, and firefighters?"

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What's next:

Rinderknecht will make his initial court appearance on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. EDT in Orlando.