Los Angeles residents and lawmakers reeled Wednesday as news of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht’s arrest for igniting the devastating Pacific Palisades fire in January was made public.
Elected officials like L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom tempered their reactions by looking ahead to “bringing closure to the thousands of Californians whose lives were upended” by what was previously believed to be a natural disaster. But several prominent Palisades residents like reality TV star Spencer Pratt and Gerber Kawasaki CEO and President Ross Gerber lambasted the city of L.A.’s response to the fires and said of Rinderknecht that he “deserves the worst punishment possible.”
“He deserves the death penalty,” Gerber told TheWrap. “Twelve people died, and thousands and thousands of people — it’s a terrorist attack, and it deserves the type of punishment that teaches a lesson so that this doesn’t happen again … What I fear is this is going to continue in California this year as we enter fire season.”
The DOJ, ATF and LAPD announced Wednesday that 29-year-old Uber driver Rinderknecht was charged with destruction of property by means of fire — a felony under federal law. He was arrested in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, nine months after he “maliciously set” a fire that grew to kill 12 people, burn more than 23,000 acres and destroy over 6,800 structures, according to charging docs obtained by TheWrap. If convicted, Rinderknecht could face five to 20 years in prison.
Pratt and his wife and “The Hills” co-star Heidi Montag lost their home in the January fires and sued Newsom shortly after, alleging that the city’s water supply system failed its residents. In a video Pratt posted to X Wednesday, he said the news of Rinderknecht’s arrest only strengthens their case against the governor.
“Today’s arson arrest proved the foundational point of our lawsuit against Newsom and the state of California,” he said. “Newsom’s Topanga State Park allowed a fire to smolder for a week without doing anything to mitigate it. This is exactly what we alleged in our lawsuit and he’s so dumb he doesn’t realize that this helps us sue him.”
In a statement of his own, the governor said that Rinderknecht’s arrest “marks an important step twoard uncovering how the horrific Palisades Fire began.”
“This tragedy will never be forgotten — lives were lost, families torn apart and entire communities forever changed — and there must be accountability,” Newsom said. “The state will continue to fully support this investigation and we look forward to the findings of the independent after-action report we’ve commissioned from the nation’s leading fire safety researchers.”
“This arson fire stole the memories of thousands of families. It displaced seniors. And uprooted children,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said in a statement. “For the people of Los Angeles, I wish justice and closure.”
And Mayor Bass responded to the arson development by assuring that the city is “working towards closure and towards justice” while emphasizing the need for recovery: “Each day that families are displaced is a day too long.”
Later Wednesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department released its official After-Action Review Report (AARR) for the Palisades Fire, which determined in coordination with the Department of Justice that Rinderknecht’s “action was deliberate, intended to cause devastating harm to the City of Los Angeles,” according to Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva.
“This arrest is a critical step toward ensuring accountability, justice and healing for our city,” he said. “We are forever grateful to our frontline responders, law enforcement partners and the people of Los Angeles for their vigilance and support for one another during this incredibly challenging year. Although the flames have been extinguished, the impact of these fires will linger for years to come.”
Responses to Rinderknecht’s arrest across social media were characteristically more fiery and partisan. Many right-leaning users politicized the event, denouncing the former Palisades resident’s support of President Joe Biden (he donated $2 to his campaign in 2020) and his varied social media posts supporting climate change initiatives like the Clean Air Act and veganism.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Rinderknecht’s arrest is one of 134 arson-related arrests made in California this year.
Some wildfires spark naturally, others by accident, but some are set on purpose.
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) October 8, 2025
Arson is a serious crime that puts lives, homes, and California’s natural resources at risk.
Through September 2025, CAL FIRE law enforcement officers have made 134 arrests. 🔥🔥
See something… pic.twitter.com/switS2C8Ye
Tess Patton contributed reporting to this story.
