A Florida man has been arrested and charged in connection with the deadly Palisades Fire.

“Today we are announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January,” Bill Essayli, acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, wrote via X on Wednesday, October 8. “The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year’s Day — a blaze that eventually turned into one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history, causing death and widespread destruction.”

During a press conference on Wednesday, officials alleged that Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire in the Pacific Palisades on January 1.

Although the fire was initially limited to less than eight acres and didn’t initially destroy any structures, investigators believe that catastrophic Santa Ana winds that swept through the area on January 7 may have rekindled embers that led to the Palisades Fire.

Los Angeles saw a frightening natural weather event — and its star-studded community has been heavily impacted. An extreme wind storm, caused by Santa Ana gusts, sparked fast-burning brush fires at around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7, with drivers along Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive abandoning their cars to seek safety, according to the […]

The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres of land in communities in and around Los Angeles, includingPacific Palisades, Malibu and the Santa Monica mountains. It was fully contained on January 31.

Twelve people were killed, according to Cal Fire, and more than 6,800 structures were destroyed.

According to Essayli, authorities collected a variety of evidence against Rinderknecht, including “an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city.”

“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 wrote via X.

During the press conference, authorities alleged that the suspect worked as an Uber driver and lived in the Pacific Palisades at the time of the fire.

After dropping off a passenger on New Year’s Eve, Rinderknecht allegedly walked up a nearby trail, where he took some iPhone videos of the view before allegedly starting a fire 12 minutes into the new year, officials claimed.

“It took the defendant several tries to contact 911 to report the fire,” Essayli alleged in a press conference, per CNN. “He fled the scene in his car, but turned around after passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction to fight the fire.”

Rinderknecht was due in court on Wednesday. It’s unclear if he has obtained an attorney.

In addition to the destruction of schools, churches, businesses and grocery stores, many celebrities’ homes were also destroyed in the destructive Palisades Fire.

As wildfires continue to spread across the Los Angeles area, several celebrities are taking to social media to share how they have been affected. “Evacuated and safe with kids, dog and cats. Praying and grateful for the first responders,” Mandy Moore wrote in a Wednesday, January 8, Instagram Story statement. In a follow-up post, she […]

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Bryan Greenberg and Jamie Chung, Melissa Rivers, Milo Ventimiglia and Ricki Lake were just some of the stars who lost nearly everything.

“Thank God we have our health and our children — and I know that,” Montag, 39, wrote via Instagram on January 9 after losing her property to the fire. “Just trying to focus on the gratitude. It just kind of comes in waves.”

Pratt, 42, added, “The one positive sign I saw as our house burned down was our son’s bed burned in the shape of a heart. A sign of how much love was in this house so thankful for all the years and memories there with our family.”