Suspect Apprehended in Los Angeles County for Palisades Fire Investigation

LOS ANGELES — An arrest has been made in connection with the Palisades Fire, which caused widespread destruction in Los Angeles County and killed a dozen people earlier this year, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of “maliciously” 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 wind 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.

MORE: LA County response to deadly fires slowed by lack of resources, outdated alert process, report says

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 and is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Orlando federal court on Wednesday, officials said.

The fire erupted on Jan. 7, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, according to California fire officials.

It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,00 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.

The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, helped their ability to spread quickly. This spread prompted mass evacuations.

The Palisades Fire decimated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

What became known as the Lachman Fire was detected at 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 1 on a hilltop in the Pacific Palisades, according to the DOJ.

Rinderknecht, who the DOJ said was living in the Palisades at the time and working as an Uber driver, had dropped a customer off in the area of the fire, according to the complaint.

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.

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.

Investigators interviewed Rinderknecht on Jan. 24, during which he allegedly lied about where he was when he saw the Lachman Fire, according to the DOJ.

“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 using ChatGPT, “which appears to show a dystopian city being burned down.”

“You could see some of his thought process in the months leading up, where he was generating some really concerning images up on ChatGPT,” Essayli said.

Essayli said the DOJ will make determinations on additional charges against Rinderknecht in the coming days.