Posted on 10/08/2025 9:57:23 AM PDT by Red Badger
Authorities have arrested a 29-year-old Uber driver in connection to the investigation into the deadly January Palisades Fire.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, of Melbourne, Florida, was arrested Tuesday near his home on suspicion of destruction of property by means of fire. If convicted as charged, Rinderknecht faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison.
"He is charged with starting a fire on Jan. 1," Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. "It did take a week to reignite, but he is charged with starting the Palisades Fire."
The criminal complaint covers the damages and death from the Palisades Fire. Rinderknecht may face additional charges: "We wanted to arrest him, get him into custody. We're going to present the case to a grand jury" for consideration of other charges, Essayli said.
Essayli, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Kenny Cooper held a news conference Wednesday at the Old U.S. Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles to announce the arrest.
The Palisades Fire broke out Jan. 7 in the coastal Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, burned 23,448 acres — over 36 square miles — and destroyed much of the community, killing 12 people. It destroyed 6,800 structures and damaged 1,000 more.
Rinderknecht is accused of setting a fire one week earlier. The eight-acre brush fire — dubbed the Lachman Fire — was contained by firefighters, but it smoldered underground near Skull Rock and eventually reignited into what would become the Palisades Fire.
Rinderknecht, who was living in the Palisades at the time, was finishing his shift as an Uber driver on New Year's Eve. Two passengers interviewed by authorities said he had been "agitated and angry" that night, Essayli said.
After dropping one or more passengers off in a residential area in the Palisades, Rinderknecht "tried to contact a former friend" on the phone but was unable to. He then walked up a hiking trail, and listened to a French rap song — which features a music video of items being lit on fire. At 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 1, sensors in the area indicated a fire had started, according to Essayli, who said Rinderknecht is accused of intentionally and "maliciously starting" that fire.
"ATF has determined the fire was ignited with an open flame," Essayli said.
Rinderknecht tried several times to contact 911 and left the area. As he drove away, he spotted fire trucks responding to the scene, turned his car around and returned to the trail to film the response on his phone, Essayli said.
Firefighters contained that fire. But it smoldered underground for about a week until on Jan. 7, when brutal winds caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground, causing what became known as the Palisades Fire, according to authorities.
Essayli said Rinderknecht "was the only person in this location at the time the fire was ignited."
In the months leading up to the fire, Essayli said Rinderknecht had used artificial intelligence to generate at least one image germane to the investigation: An image rendered by ChatGPT that showed a "dystopian city burning down."
Additionally, Essayli said Rinderknecht frequently listened to the French rap song.
The ATF's National Response Team was called in to investigate the Palisades Fire before it had even been fully contained. The elite team works on fewer than 20 cases a year on average and was called in due to the fire's size and scope, the ATF's Jose Medina said in January.
This is a developing story, refresh for updates.
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The French version of Disco Inferno?
This lets Southern California Edison off the hook.
Why do I think there's more to this story? 🤔
This scapegoat lets Southern California Edison off the hook...
Also having an arsonist eliminates the shield of insurance company liability labeled “Acts of God”
You’d be surprised how law and order California can be when the mood strikes the authorities. When they dish up the state charges, 12 counts of murder will be on the menu. Passably good looking. Going to have fun in prison
So the officials responsible for the empty reservoirs and non-functional fire fighting equipment are to be forgotten and this pyro POS made wholly to blame. Got it.
In a “just society”, this fiend should be charged with terrorism, if not for attempted murder.
Check his financial accounts and see if he received a big check from Grusome or the Bass Mouth....might be somewhat telling IF so.
The article says that the fire department arrived at the initial fire relatively quickly and presumably extinguished it, but that it continued to burn “underground” before erupting again a week later. This whole scenario sounds very problematic.
I didn’t realize that a fire can smolder underground for a week. Did the firefighters do an incomplete job of putting it out?
There was a fire that burnt most of Altadena, which is northeast of LA.
I don't know if I believe this. Firefighters pretty much know to make sure such things are completely extinguished.
But then, this IS Karen Bass's DEI Fire Dept. so.....
. “It did take a week to reignite, but he is charged with starting the Palisades Fire.”
Wait.
The main fire started a week later .
How is that his fault?
12 people died. No attempt murder there.
Federal statutes address arson leading to death under provisions such as 18 U.S.C. § 844(i) and 18 U.S.C. § 81, where penalties can include imprisonment for any term of years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty. These penalties apply when the arson directly causes a death, especially if the property was involved in interstate commerce
Is Suzan Rice pushing this story? Sounds like a Hillary video scam.
The fire Department was negligent to not make sure it was out so it could reignite, if this story is true.
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