OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
12:11 PM – Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Federal authorities announced the arrest of a 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, in connection with the catastrophic Palisades Fire in Los Angeles earlier this year — which claimed 12 lives and destroyed thousands of homes.
Rinderknecht was born in France, and he later moved to the United States and lived in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles — before later relocating to Florida. There is no publicly available information indicating that Rinderknecht is an illegal alien.
On Wednesday, authorities held a press conference announcing the Monday arrest of the 29-year-old male, who has also been referred to as “Jonathan Rinder,” accusing him of starting the fire which spread across Los Angeles in January.
The Palisades fire reportedly burned more than 23,000 acres of land and destroyed nearly 7,000 structures, most of which were single-family residences. Additionally, at least $250 billion in damage resulted from the purported arson — making the disaster the most expensive wildfire in state history.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli led the press conference, alongside Special Agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kenny Cooper.
The authorities revealed that Rinderknecht, a former Palisades resident, had been working as an Uber driver late on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2024. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, two passengers from separate trips that evening told law enforcement that Rinderknecht “appeared agitated and angry.”
After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, the suspect allegedly parked his car near the Skull Rock Trailhead and walked up the trail, attempting to contact a former friend. At a hilltop clearing, he reportedly used his iPhone to record videos while listening to a French rap song. In the days leading up to the incident, Rinderknecht had repeatedly played this song and watched its music video, which featured scenes of things being set on fire. The authorities have not disclosed the song’s title.
Among the evidence cited are videos he took with his cell phone, 911 calls he made, and a ChatGPT-generated image depicting a burning city. Essayli stated in the press conference that the suspect had used ChatGPT to generate “a dystopian painting showing in part a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.”
According to the Department of Justice, Rinderknecht attempted to contact 911 multiple times shortly after igniting the Lachman Fire on January 1, 2025. However, due to poor cellular service in the area, his calls were unsuccessful. When he finally reached emergency services, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail, and authorities had already received a report from a nearby resident
The Uber driver initially fled the scene, but turned his car around to watch firefighters suppress the blaze, which he filmed on his iPhone at about 1 a.m. local time.
The fire smoldered underground for a week, fueled by the dense root systems of the surrounding vegetation. However, on January 7th, strong winds reportedly reignited the blaze, which later escalated into the devastating Palisades Fire.
In an interview with law enforcement in January, “Rinderknecht lied about where he was 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,” according to the Attorney’s Office statement.
“The allegations are further supported by the defendant’s cell phone, his false statements to law enforcement, and his behavior during the lockman fire,” Essayli added in the news conference.
The U.S. attorney also explained that the complaint filed against Rinderknecht covers both the Lachman fire and the resulting Palisades Fire, as it is considered a “holdover.”
“The complaint alleges that a single person’s recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” Essayli continued. “While we cannot bring back what victims lost, we hope this criminal case brings some measure of justice to those affected by this horrific tragedy.”
The accused arsonist is charged with destruction of property by means of fire and he is expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. If convicted, Rinderknecht faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison if convicted. The statutory maximum sentence is 20 years.
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