Well, holy moly - this is news.
I hope they have the right guy.
Man arrested on suspicion of starting Pacific Palisades fire.
— Shaughn_A (@Shaughn_A2) October 8, 2025
It was intentionally started? How is this just now being figured out? Homeowners are still in limbo with money to help being laundered…and Dems likely never even tried to find this man 🤦🏾♂️https://t.co/Qn7BsWsByx
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht for 'maliciously' starting what would become the devastating Palisades Fire this past New Year's Eve.
Part of what they found in his cell phone when he was arrested was an AI rendering of the city on fire. It's really kind of eerie to see what looks like a full reservoir in the AI rendition. The fact that it was actually empty is a good part of what led to the disaster being as widespread as it eventually became.
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.
— Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 8, 2025
⁰The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht's started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day --… pic.twitter.com/UzrFa0Lmrz
Rinderknecht was an Uber driver at the time, and how they zeroed in on this guy and then tracked him down is some wild stuff.
The story allegedly starts when Rinderknecht drove up into Pacific Palisades after work. He had been so agitated that evening that even a couple of his Uber fares remembered his angry attitude.
...Essayli said Rinderknecht drove Pacific Palisades after working the evening shift as an Uber driver. Two of his passengers told law enforcement that he appeared agitated and angry that night. Rinderknecht—who once lived in the neighborhood—drove towards Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car and attempted to contact a former friend.
He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listened to a rap song whose music video included items being lit on fire, prosecutors said.
During the next five minutes, prosecutors said Rinderknecht called 911 several times, but didn’t get through because he didn’t have cell service in the area. When he finally reached 911, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire. By that time, a resident had already reported the blaze.
Google searches and ChatGPT are the damnedest things.
...While on the phone with 911, Rinderknecht allegedly typed a question into ChatGPT: “Are you at fault if a fire is lift because of your cigarettes,” according to the criminal complaint.
What they are saying Rinderknecht did while near the trailhead was physically light a fire before he tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully calling 911.
...He accused of dropping off an Uber customer and then setting the blaze. How he allegedly did so was not disclosed.
The fire was ignited with an “open flame,” Essayli said, adding that Rinderknecht was a resident of the Pacific Palisades and had a friend who lived in the area at the time he started the fire...
At first, he drove off, but then returned to the area. Video of firefighters arriving to battle the blaze was found on his cellphone, and Rinderknecht reportedly offered to help them if they needed it..
...“It took the defendant several tries to contact 911 to report the fire,” Essayli said.
He then initially fled in his car but turned around and went back when he saw firefighters. He allegedly took video of firefighters battling the blaze on his phone.
In an interview with authorities, Rinderknecht allegedly lied to authorities and said he was farther down the hillside, but his cellphone location record shows he was standing above the fire, 30 feet away, at the time he called 911, Essayli said.
Those firefighters caught by Rinderknecht's camera who battled intense Santa Ana winds that day to extinguish the brush before it could spread thought they had brought the fire under control, and finally left.
It's only been through the intense post-burn investigations...
...By Jan. 17, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had sent a team of 15 investigators from around the country to probe the cause of the Palisades fire, with one team handling analysis at the scene and another focusing on gathering external information, including surveillance footage, digital evidence and witness statements.
...that the awful truth has been exposed - that it was never really extinguished at all. It had simply moved underground and out of sight. In the insane conditions a week later, it burst into the fresh air and back to life once again, with horrific results.
...Despite the fire being put out by firefighters, it “continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of the dense vegetation” — reigniting on Jan. 7 during heavy winds to become the Palisades fire, “one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history,” he said.
...The Palisades fire ignited about 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, sending firefighters to the Palisades hillside as winds howled at upward of 80 mph. By the time it was contained on Jan. 31, the fire had scorched more than 23,000 acres and had damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 structures.
Details are still sparse, and I can only assume some of this is due to the case itself, but I figure Rinderknecht was already on their radar because of the 911 calls from the fire's original location. I would guess authorities must have interviewed him at least a couple of times about the incident to glean what he knew about it.
And then he decided to move - not suspicious at all - which is why he was arrested in Florida.
...While the suspect was arrested in Florida, authorities said he lived in Southern California at the time and had a friend who lives in the area around where the fire started. He moved to Florida after the fire and made “false statements” to authorities, prosecutors said.
Rinderknecht is facing a federal charge with up to twenty years in prison. That's assuming more aren't piled on.
...Rinderknecht faces a federal charge of destruction of property by means of fire, which carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Once they bring him back from the jail in Orlando, he may need a bodyguard, too.
This is all gone now.
Whoever shot this 17 minute video showing a drive through Pacific Palisades one month ago had no idea how historic it would become.
— Vintage Los Angeles (@alisonmartino) January 17, 2025
If you’re not from Los Angeles, this might give you a better idea of what we’ve lost. Please keep in mind this is just ONE street. This doesn’t… pic.twitter.com/AYbW8BlyjF
Now, Jonathan Rinderknecht may well be found guilty of lighting the first match, and if so, the penalty is no way compensates for the crime. But there are an awful lot of people behind him who fanned the flames he lit, let them burn, and need to answer for their part in this, too.
And they...
Los Angeles resident showing she was just mailed the letter informing the public the city will be building brand new high-density public bus transport and Metro stations right in the Pacific Palisades
— R Shane Jones JD, MBA, BBA (@rsjones8269) October 8, 2025
Gavin Newsom - POS - is doing it, the LA fires were a LAND GRAB. pic.twitter.com/BQyam7XyAI
...are still at it.
