A 29-year-old man was arrested and charged with intentionally causing became fatal Wildfire in Pacific Palisades that killed 12 people and destroyed large areas Los Angeles earlier this year.
Jonathan Rinderknecht of Florida was arrested on Tuesday, October 7, according to the report. statement published by the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. He is accused of setting fire to land owned by the Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority just after midnight on Jan. 1.
Rinderknecht will reportedly make his first appearance in court in Florida before being transported to California where he will be formally charged. (He has not yet entered a plea.) If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison with a minimum sentence of five years.
This initial fire, which Rinderknecht allegedly started, was known as the Lachmann Fire and was quickly suppressed. But unbeknownst to firefighters and other authorities at the time, the embers of the Lachman Fire continued to burn underground, and on January 7, strong winds forced the fire to the surface and spread. The ensuing fire in Palisades was one of the most destructive. forest fires in the history of Los Angeles, destroying 23,400 acres of land and almost 7000 houses through the Pacific Palisades region.
“The complaint alleges that one man's recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in loss of life and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “While we cannot bring back what the victims lost, we hope this criminal case will bring some measure of justice for those affected by this terrible tragedy.”
According to affidavit According to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigator, Rinderknecht was driving for Uber on New Year's Eve and two of his passengers described him as “agitated and angry” that night. Shortly before midnight, Rinderknecht allegedly listened to the song “Un Zder, Un Thé” by French rapper Josman. He allegedly listened to the song “nine times in the previous four days” and watched the music video, which features fire as a small recurring motif, three times in four days. The affidavit states that the lyrics to “Un Zder, Un Thé” contain themes of “desperation and bitterness.” (Rinderknecht later told investigators that he grew up in France and spoke fluent French.)
After playing the song, Rinderknecht allegedly drove to the Pacific Palisades Trail, near where he used to live. He also allegedly tried to call an old friend who also lived nearby, but was unable to contact him. According to testimony, Rinderknecht went to a place known as the Hidden Buddha Glade, where there is the stump of an old pillar where people often place Buddha figurines. While in the clearing, Rinderknecht allegedly took several videos of the area and listened to “Un Zder, Un Thé” again.
It is unclear exactly when he is believed to have started the fire, but it was first detected by the University of California on San Diego's environmental sensing platforms about 12 minutes after midnight. Around the same time, Rinderknecht allegedly tried to call 911, but the call did not go through due to poor cell phone service. He tried making several more calls, and by the time he finally contacted police, others in the area had already reported the fire.
During the call to the police, Rinderknecht also allegedly typed a question into ChatGPT: “Are you at fault if a fire starts?” [sic] because of your cigarette? ChatGPT allegedly responded “Yes” with an explanation.
As he drove away, Rinderknecht allegedly drove past firefighters heading to extinguish the fire. He later told investigators that he turned around and offered to help firefighters, which an ATF agent described as “highly unusual behavior.” Rinderknecht allegedly stayed nearby and took more videos of fires and firefighters from a nearby hill.
In an affidavit, an ATF agent notes that “arsonists sometimes enjoy watching firefighters react to fires they set.” The document also contains other potential evidence of Rinderknecht's intentions, including several ChatGPT requests related to the fire.
In July 2024, he allegedly asked an artificial intelligence app to create a “dystopian picture” featuring a “burning forest” and a crowd of people “running from the fire,” while on the other side of the wall “is a collection of the richest people” who are “chilling, watching the world burn, and watching people struggle… laugh, have fun and dance.”
About a month later, Rinderknecht allegedly wrote to a family member: “Literally burned the Bible I had.” He also mentioned this alleged incident in a ChatGPT prompt entered in November: “It just happened. Maybe… I don't know, maybe like 3 months ago or something. Like, realizing it all. I literally burned the Bible I had. It was amazing. I felt so liberated.”
