A federal grand jury has indicted a 29-year-old man. accused of arson what in the end became fatal Wildfire in Pacific Palisades that killed 12 people and destroyed large areas Los Angeles earlier this year.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was arrested in Florida but previously resided in Pacific Palisades, was charged with three counts related to the alleged arson, including arson of property used in interstate commerce, destruction of property fireand wood was set on fire, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. If convicted, Rinderknecht faces up to 45 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 throughout the Pacific Palisades region. The damage from it is estimated at 150 billion dollars.
Rinderknecht was arrested earlier this month.
According to affidavit From an investigator with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Rinderknecht was driving for Uber on New Year's Eve. Although it is unclear exactly when he allegedly set the fire, Rinderknecht allegedly drove to the Pacific Palisades Trail, near where he used to live, and then walked to an area known as Hidden Buddha Glade.
The fire was first detected by UC San Diego 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.” In an affidavit, an ATF agent noted 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.
