A passenger who shared a ride with the man accused of igniting the fatal Palisades Fire on New Year’s Day in Southern California has come forward about his unnerving experience, as reported by FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Authorities allege that 29-year-old Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht started a small fire after dropping off passengers during the holiday. This blaze later flared up again on Jan. 7, driven by strong winds, and expanded into the large Palisades Fire.
Brennan White shared with FOX 11 that he and his fiancée were picked up by Rinderknecht on New Year’s Eve, noting that the driver seemed like “just a really angry guy.”
“He was a nut job,” White todl the outlet. “He kept on going about not finding girls and how horrible Trump was.”
An aerial photo reveals the destruction of properties burned following the Palisades Fire at the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles on Jan. 10, 2025. (REUTERS/Daniel Cole )
White, who works as a bartender in Malibu, said the connection was especially disturbing, FOX 11 reported.
“I know so many people who lost their homes in that fire,” he conveyed, expressing regret that he was unaware of Rinderknecht’s actions and wishing he could have acted to prevent it.
Uber stated that it immediately terminated the driver’s access to their platform upon discovering his alleged involvement and collaborated closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) throughout the investigation.
