A federal grand jury indicted the 29-year-old man accused of starting a fire that eventually became the deadly Pacific Palisades wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed large swaths of Los Angeles earlier this year.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was arrested in Florida but previously lived in the Pacific Palisades, was charged with three counts related to the alleged arson, including arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, destruction of property by fire, and timber set afire, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. If convicted, Rinderknecht faces up to 45 years in prison, with a minimum sentence of five years.
This original blaze that Rinderknecht allegedly started was known as the Lachman Fire, and it was quickly suppressed. But unbeknownst to firefighters and other authorities at the time, embers of the Lachman Fire continued to burn underground, and on Jan. 7, heavy winds caused the fire to surface and spread. The ensuing Palisades fire was one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history, destroying 23,400 acres of land and nearly 7,000 homes across the Pacific Palisades region. It caused an estimated $150 billion in damages.
Rinderknecht was arrested earlier this month.
According to an affidavit from an investigator for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Rinderknecht was working on New Year’s Eve as an Uber driver. While it’s unclear when exactly he allegedly set the fire, Rinderknecht allegedly drove to a Pacific Palisades trailhead, near where he used to live, and then walked to an area known as the Hidden Buddha clearing.
The fire was first detected by the University of California at San Diego environmental sensing platforms about 12 minutes after midnight. Rinderknecht also allegedly tried to call 911 around the same time, but the call did not go through because of poor cell service. He attempted to make several more calls, and by the time he finally connected with the police, the fire had already been reported by others in the neighborhood.
During his call with police, Rinderknecht also allegedly typed a question into ChatGPT: “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarette?” ChatGPT allegedly responded “Yes,” with an explanation.
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As Rinderknecht drove away, he allegedly passed firefighters on their way to tackle the fire. He later told investigators that he turned around and offered to help the firefighters, which the ATF agent characterized as “highly unusual conduct.” In the affidavit, the ATF agent noted that “arsonists sometimes like to watch firefighters respond to the fires that they have set.” The document also contains other potential evidence of Rinderknecht’s intentions, including several fire-related ChatGPT requests.