A man was arrested and charged with arson in connection to the Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and burned more than 23,000 acres in January, according to government officials.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli announced the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on Wednesday, adding that the alleged arsonist planned the devastation, in part, with ChatGPT. Rinderknecht was apprehended Tuesday in Orlando, Florida.
“The fire was ignited with an open flame,” Essayli shared in a press conference. “He actually did live in Palisades and he was familiar with the neighborhood in which this started.” Rinderknecht relocated to Florida after the alleged arson on New Year’s Day.
“He was an Uber driver, connected to drop someone off,” Essayli added. “He was in this neighborhood — this is New Year’s Eve, so it was around midnight — and he went up to this hilltop, and at some point up there, around 12:12 a.m., he ignited a fire.”
Up until now, it was believed a Jan. 7 brush fire had started in the Palisades Highlands and made its way down into the community, destroying 6,800 structures. However, Rinderknecht has instead been accused of intentionally lighting a fire that smoldered underground before ultimately reigniting due to high Santa Ana winds.
“He is charged with starting a fire on Jan. 1, which is the fire that burned down the Palisades,” Essayli reiterated. “It did take a week to reignite, but he is charged with starting the Palisades Fire.”
Authorities also revealed Rinderknecht spoke to officials during the initial investigation and made false statements regarding his involvement with the related Lachman Fire. More information is set to come once the complaint is made public, including potential additional charges.
The LAPD, the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office shared additional details in their Wednesday joint press conference, confirming fireworks were not involved while further detailing the teams’ scientific process for controlled burns.
The update comes nine months after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires first ignited. Altogether, the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire and the smaller nearby blazes burned over 57,000 acres, destroyed more than 18,000 structures and killed at least 31 people (with some attributed deaths ranging up to 440).
More than 200,000 locals were forced to evacuate from their Southern California homes throughout January, with the fires ultimately causing billions of dollars’ worth of economic damage.
Palisades Fire victims and witnesses are encouraged to contact the ATF’s assistance program via email through palisades@atf.gov.
