Man Charged with Starting Palisades Fire

Months after the Palisades Fire devastated parts of Los Angeles County and killed a dozen people, officials announced the arrest of a man they say "maliciously" lit a fire that grew into the monster blaze.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of igniting a fire on Jan. 1 in the Pacific Palisades that ultimately erupted into the Palisades Fire, the Department of Justice said.

The New Year's Day brush fire was suppressed by fire crews but continued to smolder underground before high winds caused it to surface and spread nearly a week later, "causing what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles city history," acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Rinderknecht, who the DOJ said was working as an Uber driver at the time and once lived in the Pacific Palisades -- had dropped a customer off in the Pacific Palisades and then drove to a trail in the area of the fire, according to the complaint. Two of his passengers that night allegedly told law enforcement later that he appeared "agitated and angry," the complaint stated.

The complaint alleges Rinderknecht caused the fire by lighting a combustible material, such as vegetation or paper, with an open flame, likely a lighter.

He attempted to contact 911 several times to report the fire, before ultimately getting through once he had cell service, according to the complaint. He allegedly made a three-minute screen-recording of his iPhone while attempting to call 911 and asking ChatGPT, "Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?" according to the complaint.

"Based on my training and experience and this investigation, this indicates that RINDERKNECHT wanted to preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire and he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire," a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in an affidavit in the complaint.

Essayli said the suspect left in his car but then returned and filmed firefighters responding to the blaze.

There is no indication that anyone else was in the area at the time the fire started, Essayli said.

"He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew," the DOJ said in a press release.

Essayli said he didn't want to discuss motive, though he pointed to digital evidence included in the complaint of an image Rinderknecht allegedly generated in July 2024 using ChatGPT, showing in part "a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it."

Rinderknecht has been charged by criminal complaint with destruction of property by means of fire. He was arrested on Tuesday near his residence in Florida, officials said.