A former Pacific Palisades resident now living in Florida has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what eventually became the Palisades Fire of January 2025, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history, the Justice Department announced today.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, a.k.a. “Jonathan Rinder,” and “Jon Rinder,” of Melbourne, Florida, is charged with destruction of property by means of fire. He was arrested Tuesday and is expected to make his initial appearance today in United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
“The complaint alleges that a single person’s recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “While we cannot bring back what victims lost, we hope this criminal case brings some measure of justice to those affected by this horrific tragedy.”
“At the request of state and local authorities, ATF took the lead in this complex investigation utilizing techniques unique to our agency’s capabilities,” said Special Agent in Charge Kenny Cooper of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Los Angeles Field Division. “The horrific loss of life and property was significantly felt by ATF members, and we are honored to utilize our expertise to provide answers to this community. We remain committed to serving with integrity and distinction.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, law enforcement determined that the Palisades Fire was a “holdover” fire – a continuation of the Lachman Fire that began early in the morning on New Year’s Day 2025. Although firefighters quickly suppressed the Lachman Fire, unbeknownst to anyone the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of dense vegetation.
On January 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 Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Law enforcement determined – using witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene, among other things – that Rinderknecht maliciously set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on January 1 on land owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), an organization that received federal funding. A week later, the same fire – then known as the Palisades Fire – burned federal property.
On the evening of December 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 they remembered that Rinderknecht appeared agitated and angry.
After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderknecht – who once lived in that neighborhood – drove towards Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, attempted to contact a former friend, and walked up the trail. 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.
At 12:12 a.m. on January 1, 2025, environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman Fire had begun. During the next five minutes, Rinderknecht called 911 several times, but didn’t get through because his iPhone was out of cellphone range. When he finally connected with 911, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire. By that point, a nearby resident already had reported the fire to authorities.
Rinderknecht then 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. Rinderknecht walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters. At approximately 1:02 a.m., he used his iPhone to take more videos of the scene.
During an interview with law enforcement on January 24, 2025, Rinderknecht 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.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted, Rinderknecht would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
ATF is investigating this matter, with substantial assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department and the United States Forest Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mark A. Williams, Matthew W. O’Brien, and Danbee C. Kim of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Laura A. Alexander of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.
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Adios Rinderknicht. Thanks to the ATF and the other Feds you are going down hard. I hope you get what you deserve in prison for torching countless homes and killing innocent people.
Law enforcement matters.
Except for the rethuglican elite. They get a pass.
This terrorist from Florida, a registered republican I’m sure, should never have been allowed to immigrate to California from a red state.
LOL..Junior High mentality right there. Take a look at the hundreds of domestic terrorists we see on the news everyday right now in places like Chicago and Portland. Are they republicans?
You have devolved into a world of total fantasy.
Florida has been sending terrorists and spies to California ever since Desantis took office.
“hundreds of domestic terrorists” Someone drank the Kool-Aid ^ ^ ^
Please show us the “hundreds of domestic terrorists”
The algorithm has won again on another MAGA mind sheep.
The only domestic terrorists in Chicago and Portland are ICE and Border Patrol. Family business won’t even allow these animals to use the restroom because these goons are so vile.
Your HHS head just said what about a higher risk for autism?
But you defend the sick MAGA mind bleed. Talk about enemy within.
BASIC – yes, they are republicans. The ones shooting the reverend in the head with pepper balls and shooting a woman 7 times with real bullets (and lying about it) in Chicago? ICE. The ones trying to spray mace into the air hole of an inflatable dancing frog in Portland? ICE.
Now, please show us the domestic terrorists your Orange Daddy told you were creating war zones. And no, peaceful protesters getting loud and being tear gassed are not terrorists. They’re Americans exercising the 1st Amendment.
I mean damn dude….. “junior high” a compliment for your pitiful level of facts and logic and ability to think for yourself.
Oh my goodness, you guys are so crazy. Saying the Antifa and other protestors attacking law enforcement are Republicans is just completely absurd. Oh well. Keep your blinders on. I see where you’re at.
BASICCANTREAD – Read it again. Then again. Now one more time.
No one, nowhere, not ever, at no time, never at all, did anyone say the protesters are Republicans. The ones actually carrying out violence, the ICE agents, are. lEaRn tO ReAD.
Now for your other lie in that same sentence: provide one single shred of evidence that any protesters have attacked law enforcement n Portland. I dare you.
There have been some scuffles in Chicago, but no domestic terrorism. Just real Americans exercising their free speech who then push back when shoved, beaten, gassed and shot.
Prove it or stop lying. We all know you’ll do neither.
BI is lusting after one of those cool black uniforms with the white and red accents for his wardrobe.
That is what smarmy conservative men do, they ignore tangible evidence of neo NAZl violence and find a boogeyman.
He’s only lived in FL since the fire. There’s lots of information about him out there in the news.
“Since 2016, he has been associated with addresses in Michigan, Florida and California. He told investigators that he grew up in France and speaks French fluently, and still has family there. A federal prosecutor said in a court hearing on Thursday that he had discussed plans recently to move to Bali.
In recent years, he had been living with a romantic partner in the Los Angeles area, starting in 2020, the prosecutor said on Thursday. The relationship ended in 2023.
Several months ago, Mr. Rinderknecht moved in with his sister, his brother-in-law and their two children in Melbourne, Fla., lawyers said.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/us/palisades-fire-arrest-jonathan-rinderknecht.html
“Federal agents say Rinderknecht is from central Florida but was familiar with the Pacific Palisades area. He had been staying at a home on Via La Costa in the Palisades Highlands that burned in the Jan. 7 fire.”
https://abc7.com/post/jonathan-rinderknecht-what-know-suspect-accused-sparking-deadly-palisades-fire/17966965/
Yet another wildfire not by natural causes.
But I’m sure climate changed forced this guy to light the fire
But for sure the ferocity and extent of the resulting fire was increased by climate change. You’d only think otherwise if you were an idiot who only listened to right-wing “alternative facts” propaganda.
Like everything you write, this is an extraordinarily fallacious and stupid argument. “Someone set this fire, therefore global warming and the resulting climate change aren’t real” is a radical failure of logic and rational thinking (similar to how you conclude that chemtrails are real).
Parroting the algorithm.
SBLETS – “climate change” has never started a fire. You guys need to stop pretending (or not) being so clueless. The way climate change comes in to play is the demonstrably higher winds and heat that then cause these small fires to erupt into firestorms that destroy hundreds of acres within hours, including everyone and everything in their path. This is well established scientific fact.
Please. Read a book or something. We’re already seeing the catastrophic results of what happens when an uneducated or just wilfully ignorant/hateful populace votes.
So, you don’t think that climate change had any role in creating the conditions -prolonged high temperatures and sustained high winds…in JANUARY- that made this fire so catastrophic? You have to work full time to be that ignorant.
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/extreme-weather-caused-more-than-usd100-billion-in-damage-by-june-smashing-us-records
Alleged perp, Jonathan Rinderknecht, aka “Climate Change”.
Repeating what I said to DoesntGetAlong: this is an extraordinarily fallacious and stupid argument. “Someone set this fire, therefore global warming and the resulting climate change aren’t real” is a radical failure of logic and rational thinking.
They are locked in with the cult. Now I see how Jim Jones got all of those people to South America. MAGAcrats have turned their brains off as it is easier to be fed by their algorithm.
RINCONER – yup, totally. Because hot weather and hurricane force winds always happen in January. Oh and don’t forget, since wind can supposedly ignite fires, be careful outside. Lots of people are bursting into flames when it gets windy. You should stay inside where you’re safe from science.
How about in October?
The wind is crankin’ in the Valley