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The individual arrested for allegedly sparking the devastating Palisades Fire at the beginning of last year is said to have admired Luigi Mangione, the notorious figure suspected in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. This connection to Mangione highlights a troubling trend of violent offenders reportedly idolizing the controversial figure, sparking concerns among experts about the growing culture of assassination in the United States.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 30-year-old former Uber driver, was taken into custody in October 2025. He faces charges of causing destruction of property through fire, linked to the Palisades Fire in California that erupted on New Year’s Day 2025. The blaze wreaked havoc, consuming 23,448 acres and destroying 6,833 structures over the course of more than a month, resulting in the tragic loss of twelve lives. The financial toll of the fire is estimated to be between $35 billion and $45 billion.
Jonathan Rinderknecht — Palisades Fire
Last week, prosecutors presented a court memo detailing Rinderknecht’s expressed admiration for Mangione. This revelation adds a layer of complexity to his case, as it aligns him with a growing group of accused criminals who have drawn inspiration from Mangione’s notorious actions.
As the legal proceedings continue, the case of Jonathan Rinderknecht serves as a stark reminder of the potential influence of figures like Mangione and the implications of their notoriety in shaping violent acts. The conversation about the impact of such figures on criminal behavior is now more pertinent than ever.
Last week, prosecutors filed a memo in court outlining Rinderknecht’s solidarity with Mangione.
“In the months leading up to the fire, he had become increasingly angry with his life and society at large,” prosecutors wrote. “For example, in the weeks and hours leading up to the fire, defendant fixated on Luigi Mangione, who allegedly murdered the UnitedHealthcare CEO in New York City on December 4, 2024.”
Rinderknecht searched the terms “free LuigiMangione,” “lets take down all the billionaires” and “reddit lets kill all the billionaires,” federal prosecutors said, adding that he harbored “resentment for the rich.”
“Many of defendant’s Uber passengers on Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025, described defendant as angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting about being ‘pissed off at the world’ and Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilantism,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
“When investigators asked defendant why someone might commit arson in the Pacific Palisades, he responded that it would be out of resentment of the rich enjoying their money as ‘we’re basically being enslaved by them’ and compared such an act of ‘desperation’ to the murder for which Mangione was charged,” prosecutors wrote.
Daniel Moreno-Gama — Sam Altman and OpenAI attack
In mid-April, 20-year-old Moreno-Gama allegedly traveled from Texas to San Francisco in a planned attack to kill OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, according to authorities.
He threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s home, setting an exterior gate ablaze, according to investigators. He then allegedly went to OpenAI’s headquarters and was caught on surveillance camera throwing a chair at a set of glass doors. He is accused of threatening to burn the building to the ground and kill everyone inside.
Daniel Moreno-Gama appears in court with public defender Diamond Ward in San Francisco on April 14, 2026. (Jeff Chiu/AP)
In January, Moreno-Gama suggested “Luigi’ing some tech CEOs” in an online exchange with producers of “The Last Invention” podcast, the Wall Street Journal reported.
He later walked back the comments.
Chamel Abdulkarim — Warehouse arson suspect
Abdulkarim, 20, of Highland, California, stands accused of setting ablaze a massive warehouse where he worked on April 7. He allegedly filmed himself sparking the inferno, which destroyed the 1.2 million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark distribution center, a paper product hub, and caused $500 million in damage.
In that video, he complained about his wages.
“If you’re not going to pay us enough to [expletive] live… at least pay us enough not to do this,” he said, according to the Department of Justice affidavit.
Chamel Abdulkarim charged in warehouse arson (KTTV; Frederick M. Brown)
Prosecutors allege that he bragged about setting the fire in subsequent texts and phone calls, one of which referenced Mangione and suggested that people would understand his actions.
“Luigi popped that mutherf—–,” Abdulkarim said, according to the federal complaint, adding “a lot of people are going to understand.”
He’s facing charges of arson of a building used in interstate and foreign commerce and faces multiple state felony counts that could significantly increase his prison exposure.
Ryan English — Alleged plot to kill Trump allies
English, who went by “Riley Jane English” and used she/her pronouns, allegedly walked up to a U.S. Capitol Police officer on Jan. 27, 2025 and said, “I’d like to turn myself in.”
English claimed to have two Molotov cocktails and two knives and expressed the desire “to kill [Treasury Secretary] Scott Bessent,” court documents said.
English reportedly left home in Massachusetts and traveled to Washington, D.C., with the intent of killing War Secretary Pete Hegseth, too, whom the suspect referred to as a “Nazi,” along with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. English also allegedly expressed a desire to burn down the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank “two blocks from the White House.”Â
Ryan Michael English, 24, was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C. (Al Drago/Bloomberg)
English cited a terminal illness as one factor in the planned attack, and prosecutors used that as justification to hold English without bond.
Prosecutors also said English referenced Mangione.
“As another example, the Defendant specifically mentioned being influenced by Luigi Mangione, the individual accused in the recent murder of United Health Group CEO Brian Thompson,” the court documents said. “The Defendant referred to her call to violence as ‘fate’ or ‘destiny.’ Those statements, coupled with Defendant’s statements that she has only a few months to live, demonstrate that the Defendant is a risk to the community if released.”Â
English pleaded guilty in March.
Shane Tamura — NFL headquarters attack
Last July, Shane Tamura committed an attack on the NFL’s headquarters in New York City, which killed four people.
Prosecutors compared his actions to Mangione’s.
Shane Tamura, the NYC shooter, was detained in Las Vegas by local police. (Las Vegas Police Department)
“On July 28, 2025, Shane Tamura brought an assault rifle to a Manhattan office building, a short distance away from where Mangione had killed Thompson,” prosecutors wrote. “Tamura shot and killed four people, including an off-duty police officer, an executive of a financial services firm, and a security guard, and he injured others, including an employee of the National Football League (“NFL”). Like Mangione, Tamura left behind a piece of evidence for investigators to find, blaming the NFL and football for causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Almost immediately, members of the public sympathetic to the defendant touted Tamura’s actions as a laudable continuation of the defendant’s philosophy.”
This image from surveillance video obtained by The Associated Press shows Shane Tamura outside a Manhattan office building on Monday, July 28, 2025. (AP)
Mangione’s attorney did not return a Wednesday comment request, but has said previously that her client does not support political violence.
“As we have stated before in multiple public court filings, Mr. Mangione does not support violent actions and does not condone past or future political violence,” Karen Friedman Agnifino told Fox News Digital in a recent statement. “These repeated attempts to connect him to unrelated acts or to insinuate that he condones or supports these acts are irresponsible, dangerous and prejudicial.”