A 29-year-old Florida man has been arrested in connection with the devastating Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and caused an estimated $150 billion in damage — the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history.
Authorities identified the suspect as Jonathan Rinderknecht, alleging that he deliberately ignited the fire along a hiking trail in the Pacific Palisades area on New Year’s Day. The blaze quickly swept through the hillside community, destroying over 6,000 homes and structures before it was contained weeks later.
“Today we are announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced in a post on X.
According to Essayli, investigators recovered digital evidence from Rinderknecht’s devices, including an AI-generated image of a burning city created using ChatGPT. The fire ultimately scorched nearly 23,000 acres, with fire crews battling the blaze for more than three weeks.
“While we cannot undo the destruction, we hope his arrest and the charges bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy,” Essayli added.
Officials say the fire originated near a popular trail in a state park overlooking the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Surveillance and digital forensics revealed that Rinderknecht filmed video footage on his phone shortly after arriving at the trailhead.
Court documents show he was listening to “Un Zder, Un The” — a track by French rapper Josman — at the time of the fire. The accompanying 2018 music video shows scenes of arson, including the rapper lighting fires in an apartment and burning money.
Google records indicate Rinderknecht, who was born in France, had played the song at least nine times and viewed the video four times in the days leading up to the fire. Translated lyrics include phrases like: “Daily life is killing me,” and “Too much bitterness in my head, I think about the mistakes we made.”
Investigators believe Rinderknecht remained at the fire’s origin point for about a minute, observing the flames before fleeing. He later recorded a video of himself attempting to call 911, during which he typed into ChatGPT: “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?”
He reportedly left the area but later turned his vehicle around to follow emergency responders back to the scene, where he recorded additional footage of the firefighting efforts.
The Palisades Fire occurred around the same time as the separate Eaton Fire, which claimed 19 lives. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of that blaze.
Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida and is currently awaiting extradition to California, where he faces federal charges in connection with the fire. Court filings also indicate he is a past political donor to California Governor Gavin Newsom, although it remains unclear whether that detail has any relevance to the ongoing investigation.
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