By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday morning, October 8, that 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of Melbourne, Florida—a former Pacific Palisades resident—has been arrested on a
federal complaint charging him with “maliciously starting what eventually became the Palisades fire of January 2025.”
“The complaint unsealed today charges the defendant with destruction of property by means of fire, a felony that carries a mandatory minimum five-year federal prison sentence and is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said while addressing reporters at the Spring Street Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. “The defendant was arrested yesterday [Tuesday, October 7] near his Florida residence and he is expected to make his initial appearance today in the federal court in Orlando, Florida.
Allegations are supported by digital evidence—including the defendant’s ChatGPT prompt of a dystopian painting showing in part a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, law enforcement personnel determined the Palisades fire was a “holdover” fire—a continuation of the Lachman fire, which began early in the morning on New Year’s Day, January 1.
“Although firefighters quickly suppressed the Lachman fire, unbeknownst to anyone then the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of the dense vegetation,” Essayli added. “On January 7, heavy winds caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what then became known as the Palisades fire that caused widespread damage in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.”
Rinderknecht, who does not have a criminal history, allegedly made false statements when interviewed by law enforcement January 24. He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the Lachman fire and called 911, which contradicts geolocation data from his iPhone carrier that revealed he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it intensified.
“He lied about where he was,” Essayli said. “The fire was ignited with an open flame. The suspect lived in the Palisades and was familiar with the neighborhood. This was arson.”
Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Los Angeles Field Division, added: “The horrific loss of life and property was significantly felt by ATF members, and we’re honored to utilize our expertise to provide answers to this community. We remain committed to serving with integrity and distinction.”
The suspect, also known as Jon Rinder, was an Uber driver and had dropped passengers off in a residential area on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2024 (the fire was detected at 12:12 a.m. January 1).
“With clarity we know this was an incendiary fire and that the subject we arrested started it,” Cooper said. “We’re not making a probable cause arrest. We feel we’ve met the beyond a reasonable doubt standard and we’re confident that the burden of proof by the government on this presumed innocent person will be met at trial. I won’t speculate as to motive. People do evil things for whatever reason.”
Rinderknecht made his initial appearance Wednesday, October 8, in U.S. District Court in Orlando. No decision was mad, according to DOJ. A detention hearing for the defendant was scheduled for Thursday morning (6:45 a.m. PDT), October 9, in front of United States Magistrate Judge Nathan W. Hill.
Utilizing witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data and detailed analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene, law enforcement officers ascertained that the suspect purposely set the Lachman fire shortly after midnight on January 1 on land owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, an organization that received federal funding. Six days later, the same fire—then known as the Palisades fire—burned federal property.
The affidavit detailed events starting late in the evening on December 31, 2024, when the suspect was working as an Uber driver. Two passengers whom he drove on separate trips between 10:15 and 11:15 p.m. that night later told law enforcement they remembered that the suspect appeared agitated and angry.
After dropping off a passenger in the Palisades, Rinderknecht—who once lived in that neighborhood—drove toward Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, attempted to contact a former friend and walked up the trail. 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.
Twelve minutes after midnight environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman fire had begun. In the next five minutes, Rinderknecht called 911 several times but did not get through because his iPhone was out of cellphone range. When he finally connected, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire but by then a nearby resident had already informed the authorities about the fire.
Rinderknecht then fled in his car, passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction. He then turned around and followed the fire engines to the scene, driving at a high rate of speed. He walked up the same trail he had earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters. At approximately 1:02 a.m. he used his iPhone to take more videos of the scene.
In search of clues, in the last eight months hundreds of interviews have been conducted (including witnesses overseas), more than 200 leads pursued, 13,000 items of evidence collected, 500 scientific tests performed, 1.5 million phone records and data extractions checked, and hundreds of acres examined. After reviewing the evidence, Cooper said, it was determined that the Palisades fire was intentionally set near a view point along the Temescal Ridge Trail in Topanga State Park.
“A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime,” DOJ wrote. “Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court. If convicted, Rinderknecht would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.”
ATF is continuing to investigate, with substantial assistance from the LAPD and the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark A. Williams, Matthew W. O’Brien, and Danbee C. Kim of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Laura A. Alexander of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting the case.
“I couldn’t be more proud—we had the best of the best working on it,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. “Our detectives responded right away, we were relentless and that led to the arrest of this suspect.”
The Palisades fire, which began on January 7, reached 23,447 acres, according to CAL FIRE. It was active for 24 days—until it reached 100% containment on January 31. There are 12 confirmed civilian fatalities. The fire destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged 973 in Malibu and the Palisades.
“To every person who lost a loved one, a home or the place you built your life, please know that you are in my heart and thoughts given today’s news,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said. “Today’s arrest cannot erase the pain and unimaginable loss you have suffered but it is a step toward accountability. I am grateful to the public safety partners who worked tirelessly to bring us to this moment.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom released the following statement:
“Today’s arrest marks an important step toward uncovering the how the horrific Palisades fire began and bringing closure to thousands of Californians whose lives were upended. This tragedy will never be forgotten. Lives were lost, families torn apart and communities forever changed—and there must be accountability.
“We thank the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their thorough investigation into this fire and for confirming the indisputable facts on the ground. The state will continue to support this investigation and we look forward to the findings of the independent after-action report we’ve commissioned from the nation’s leading fire safety researchers.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story has been updated to reflect additional details.
