A federal grand jury today indicted a 29-year-old former Uber driver who is charged with intentionally sparking what eventually became the Palisades Fire. The blaze, when coupled with the Eaton Fire, caused by one early estimate between $28 billion and $53.8 billion in property damage. That makes them — together or separately — likely the two most costly wildfires in U.S. history.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a onetime Palisades resident who most recently lived in Florida, is charged in the three-count indictment with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
If convicted as charged, Rinderknecht would face a sentence of between five and 45 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
Rinderknecht has been in federal custody since his arrest on Oct. 7. His next court appearance will be his arraignment, which is expected to occur in the coming weeks in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
“A multi-agency investigation into the origin and cause of the massive Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California, on January 7, 2025, has determined that it was a ‘holdover’ fire, i.e., a continuation of the Lachman Fire that began nearby early in the morning on January 1, 2025,” the complaint against Rinderknecht. It goes on to detail how an “agitated” Rinderknecht walked up Skull Rock Trailhead on NYE after dropping off Uber passengers just before midnight.
The Lachman Fire was an eight-acre blaze in the early morning near Via La Costa in the Palisades. First responders believed they had completely cleaned it up that same day, a supposition which is now in doubt.
“The investigative team determined that the cause of the Lachman Fire was incendiary, i.e., an intentional ignition of a fire in an area or under circumstances where or when there should not be a fire,” the filing adds. “The cause of the fire was determined to be the introduction of an open flame (likely a lighter) to a combustible material such as vegetation or paper.”
On Jan. 7, heavy winds caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what became known as the Palisades Fire, which caused widespread damage in the Palisades. The fire burned 23,448 acres, destroyed about 6,800 structures and killed 12 people.
Using witness statements, video surveillance, cell data and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene, among other things, law enforcement determined that Rinderknecht “maliciously” set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 on federal land, prosecutors said. The complaint notes that Rinderknecht at one point asked ChatGPT if “you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes.”
Jonathan Rinderknecht
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California
The suspect allegedly called 9-1-1 several times, but failed to get through due to bad reception on the trail. Later that early early New Year’s morning, Rinderknecht drove away from the area as LAFD started arriving on the scene, making a gesture to assist the firefighters, the complaint says.
A week later the same fire, which had likely smoldered underground, reemerged and became known as the Palisades Fire.
On the evening of Dec. 31, 2024, Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver. Two passengers that he drove on separate trips between 10:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. that night later told law enforcement that they remembered Rinderknecht appeared agitated and angry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderknecht — who once lived in the neighborhood — drove toward Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, attempted to contact a former friend and walked up the trail, court papers show.
He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listened to a rap song — to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days — whose music video included things being lit on fire, federal prosecutors allege.
At 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2025, environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman Fire had begun. Prosecutors contend that during the next five minutes, Rinderknecht called 911 several times, but didn’t get through because his iPhone was out of range. When he finally connected with 911, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire, according to cell data. By that point, a nearby resident already had reported the fire to authorities.
Rinderknecht then allegedly fled in his car, passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction. He then turned around and followed the fire engines to the scene, driving at a high rate of speed, prosecutors said.
He walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters, federal prosecutors allege, and at approximately 1:02 a.m., he allegedly used his iPhone to take more videos of the scene.
During a Jan. 24 interview with law enforcement in Florida, where he relocated after the fire, Rinderknecht allegedly 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 as it rapidly grew, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
City News Service contributed to this report.
