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Authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, accusing him of purposefully igniting a New Year’s Day fire that smoldered for days and later exploded into the deadly Palisades Fire that devastated California.
Rinderknecht, 29, of Melbourne, Florida, was arrested Tuesday on a federal charge of destruction of property by means of fire, Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli announced during a Wednesday morning news conference. He was due to make his initial appearance in federal court in Florida on Wednesday.
“The complaint alleges that a single person’s recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” Essayli said. “While we cannot bring back what victims lost, we hope this criminal case brings some measure of justice to those affected by this horrific tragedy.”
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged Wednesday with igniting the blaze that eventually became the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. (USAttyEssayli/X)
ARREST MADE IN CONNECTION TO DEADLY PACIFIC PALISADES FIRE, SOURCES SAY
Essayli said there is evidence from Rinderknecht’s cell phone, false statements to law enforcement and his behavior following a separate fire that broke out shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day that led to his arrest.
Justice department officials said evidence collected from the suspect’s digital devices showed an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a dystopian burning city. The Palisades fire destroyed tens of thousands of acres throughout the region, leaving many residents displaced, and claimed the lives of 12 people.
This tragedy will never be forgotten — lives were lost, families torn apart, and entire communities forever changed.
From New Year’s Eve 2024 to New Year’s Day 2025, Rinderknecht worked as an Uber driver in Los Angeles. Federal authorities said two of his passengers told them “he appeared agitated and angry that night after dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades.”
He then allegedly parked his car and tried to contact a former friend. After he couldn’t get a hold of them, officials said he then proceeded to walk up a trail and took videos on his iPhone from a hilltop. According to the criminal complaint, Rinderknecht claims that he offered to help fight the fires, with the investigators noting that this is “highly unusual conduct.”
READ THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE
At that time, investigators said he “listened to a rap song whose music video included objects being lit on fire.”
“He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listened to a rap song – to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days – whose music video included things being lit on fire,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
According to the criminal complaint, Rinderknecht was listening to the French rap song “Un Zder, Un Thé” by Josman, which is about isolation, exhaustion, and escapism.
Background and Identity
According to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Rinderknecht is also known by the aliases “Jonathan Rinder” and “Jon Rinder.”
According to the criminal complaint, Rinderknecht had previously lived in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California, near the site of the initial “Lachman Fire,” and was familiar with the local trails and hillside terrain where the fire began. Investigators noted that he had formerly resided in a house roughly one block from the trailhead and had hiked the nearby Temescal Ridge Trail numerous times. After leaving California, Rinderknecht relocated to Melbourne, Florida, where he was arrested by federal agents on October 8.
In the complaint, Special Agent William Schry noted that Rinderknecht “admitted he was fluent in French; he grew up in France.”
A map from the criminal complaint outlining where Jonathan Rinderknechht allegedly started the fires from. (Department of Justice)
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Timeline of Key Events
A sequence of events leading up to Rinderknecht’s arrest on Oct. 8, according to the criminal complaint.
- July 11: Asked ChatGPT to generate a “dystopian painting” showing a burning forest and the rich watching the world burn.
- Nov. 1: Told ChatGPT, “I literally burnt the Bible that I had. It felt amazing.”
Dec. 31:
- Video from his iPhone showed a green barbecue-style lighter in his apartment; the same lighter (with his DNA) was later found in his car.
- Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver in Pacific Palisades.
- Two passengers later described him as agitated and angry.
Around 11:28 p.m., he listened to the French song “Un Zder, Un Thé” by Josman.
11:34 p.m.: Dropped off a passenger on Palisades Drive, then drove alone toward the Skull Rock Trailhead, near where he had once lived. He was captured on surveillance footage, according to the complaint.
A map of the trail that Rinderknechht allegedly used to walk up to the Hidden Buddha clearing. (Department of Justice)
11:38 p.m. – 11:47 p.m.: Parked at the Skull Rock Trailhead and walked up the Temescal Ridge Trail to the “Hidden Buddha” clearing where he took two videos; no fire visible.
11:54 p.m.: Played “Un Zder, Un Thé” again.
Jan. 1:
12:12 a.m.:
- The first glow of fire was detected by wildfire cameras near the hillside.
- Rinderknecht attempted to call 911 multiple times, with GPS data placing him directly below the Hidden Buddha clearing.
- Cameras captured the Lachman Fire igniting and spreading while he remained at that spot for over a minute.
12:17 a.m.:
- Successfully connected to 911 near the bottom of the trail to report the fire.
- During the call, he typed into ChatGPT: “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?” ChatGPT, according to the complaint, responded with “Yes,” along with an explanation.
12:20 a.m.:
- Rinderknecht gets into his car and drives away from the fire. On his way down, he passes fire trucks responding to the scene.
1:02 a.m.: Took four iPhone videos of firefighters battling the blaze.
Jan. 2:
- Firefighters suppressed the Lachman Fire.
Paula Tapia hugs Katja Schmolka, who lost her home in the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. Jan. 10, 2025. (REUTERS/David Ryder)
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Jan. 7:
- Heavy winds reignited underground embers from the original site, sparking the Palisades Fire, which spread widely through federal and state land.
Jan. 31:
- Palisades fire is fully contained.