The man accused of starting the deadly Palisades Fire on New Year’s Day in Southern California often posted anti-Trump content on social media and discussed how global warming was driving climate change.
Among the posts shared by Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was an article from ProPublica titled “Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration,” featuring an image of a burning hillside in California.
He also shared another article titled “Senator Kamala Harris Says Meat Is Destroying the Planet” and a link to donate to Joe Biden’s 2020 election campaign.
Rinderknecht also posted images of Trump supporters in tears after their 2020 election loss and stated that President Donald Trump inherited a robust economy from Barack Obama but “destroyed it” during the COVID-19 crisis.
Firefighters watch a helicopter drop water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Federal officials mentioned that Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver in Los Angeles over New Year’s Eve 2024 to New Year’s Day 2025, noting that two passengers reported he seemed “agitated and angry that night after dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades.”
After reportedly igniting the fire at the Skull Rock trailhead, Rinderknecht called 911 and then used ChatGPT to inquire, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?”
Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard during a powerful windstorm Jan. 8, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Apu Gomes)
ChatGPT, according to the complaint, responded with “Yes,” and explained.
While prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht sparked the Lachman Fire, which was put out Jan. 2, heavy winds reignited underground embers, which sparked the Palisades Fire. In total, the Palisades Fire claimed the lives of 12 people and left many displaced.
