What We Know About Jonathan Rinderknecht and His Alleged Connection to the Deadly Palisades Fire By Jordana Comiter

Jonathan Rinderknecht has been arrested in connection with the devastating Palisades Fire.

The deadly event began on Jan. 7, 2025, and continued to spread across Southern California for a month, becoming one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in the state’s history. According to a report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the wildfire killed 12 people, destroyed more than 6,000 structures and burned over 23,000 acres.

After a nine-month investigation, authorities determined that the Palisades Fire was a “holdover” fire — a continuation of what was known as the Lachman Fire, which began on New Year’s Day 2025, per a federal complaint obtained by PEOPLE. On Oct. 8, California authorities announced that Rinderknecht had been arrested and charged with destruction of property by means of fire, with Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announcing the news in a post on X.

“While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy,” the statement read, while noting Rinderknecht is innocent until proven guilty.

Here’s everything to know about Jonathan Rinderknecht and his alleged connection with the Palisades Fire.

He is accused of setting a blaze using a lighter

Rinderknecht is accused of having set a fire that grew into the Palisades Fire.

Investigators allege that Rinderknecht, who once lived in the Pacific Palisades area and has since relocated to Melbourne, Fla., used an open flame, likely a lighter, that set fire to combustible material such as vegetation or paper, just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025.

Per the complaint, firefighters were able to quickly suppress what was known as the Lachman Fire, but “unbeknownst to anyone the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of dense vegetation.”

A week later, strong winds caused the underground fire to resurface and spread above ground, igniting what became known as the Palisades Fire, which caused extensive damage throughout the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Rinderknecht had allegedly been driving for Uber when the fires started

Rinderknecht is a former Uber driver who had allegedly been working the night before the initial fire began. Per the complaint, he dropped off two separate passengers in the Pacific Palisades area, and those riders allegedly later told investigators that they remembered Rinderknecht appearing “agitated and angry.”

According to the complaint, he allegedly called 911 several times after starting the fire, but didn’t get through because he was in an area with spotty service.

Related Stories

How to Help Victims of the Los Angeles Wildfires

How Celebrities Are Giving Back to Los Angeles Wildfire Relief

By the time he got connected with 911, Rinderknecht was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire, which had already been called in to authorities by a nearby resident. According to the complaint, investigators claim Rinderknecht then asked ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?”

However, the complaint claimed that smoking, fireworks, lightning and power lines were all ruled out by investigators as possible causes of the wildfire.

He allegedly watched the fire as it began and took videos of the scene

According to the complaint, Rinderknecht allegedly fled in his car after messaging ChatGPT. However, he allegedly passed fire engines driving in the opposite direction and eventually turned around to follow them to the scene.

The complaint then claims that he walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters and took videos of the scene.

During an interview with authorities on Jan. 24, however, authorities allege that Rinderknecht lied about his whereabouts when he first saw the Lachman Fire.

“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,” a press release stated.

He allegedly had an obsession with fire and destruction

According to authorities, there are several pieces of evidence pointing to Rinderknecht’s alleged involvement in the Palisades Fire, including an image he generated on ChatGPT in July 2024 depicting a burning city.

A few months later, he allegedly messaged ChatGPT, writing in part, “I literally burnt the Bible that I had. It felt amazing. I felt so liberated,” according to the complaint. Authorities also claim that Rinderknecht sent a similar message to a family member.

Per the complaint, Rinderknecht was listening to the French rap song “Un Zder, Un Thé” by Josman while taking videos of the fire at the top of the hill. He had allegedly listened to the song, which has a music video depicting items being lit on fire, multiple times in the days leading up to Jan. 1.

Rinderknecht was arrested in October 2025

Over nine months after the Palisades Fire began, Rinderknecht was arrested in early October 2025.

Essayli announced the news in a statement on X, writing that Rinderknecht was arrested on a “criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.”

Prosecutors said that if he is convicted, Rinderknecht could face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.