A 29-year-old man from California has been apprehended in Florida and faces charges for allegedly starting one of the most devastating urban fires in the United States earlier this year.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was an Uber driver at the time, is accused of igniting a blaze shortly after midnight on January 1 along a hiking path in the Pacific Palisades, according to the Los Angeles Times.
This fire, named the Lachman fire, was initially brought under control by firefighters, as reported by KTLA. However, it continued to burn underground for a week before exploding into the Palisades fire, which tragically resulted in 12 deaths and the destruction of almost 7,000 buildings in the Palisades and Malibu.
Following the disaster, Rinderknecht, whose parents were Baptist missionaries, relocated to Florida. He was apprehended this week in Melbourne and faces a federal charge for the intentional destruction of property with fire.
During a news briefing on Wednesday, prosecutors detailed the digital and behavioral evidence that led them to Rinderknecht, following an initial interview with him on January 24.
Sensors picked up the initial blaze shortly after midnight on January 1. Authorities allege Rinderknecht attempted several times to contact 911 but was hindered by poor phone signal. When he eventually succeeded in notifying dispatchers, he claimed to be reporting from the trail’s base, although investigators later discovered he was merely 30 feet from where the fire originated when he made that call.
A criminal complaint says the Rinderknecht had been driving for Uber on New Year’s Eve and dropped a passenger in a residential area of Pacific Palisades just before midnight. Two of his pasengers that night told investigators he seemed “agitated and angry.”
Uber told KTLA it “worked closely” with investigators to track Rinderknecht’s locations that night and removed his access to the Uber app once they knew of his suspected involvement in the fire.
Officials said after dropping his last passenger than night, he parked near the Skull Rock Trailhead, and unsuccessfully tried to call a friend. Then he hiked up the hill.
“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,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
The song was “Un Zder, Un Thé,” by the French artist Josman.
“I have reviewed an English translation of the French lyrics for the song, and a theme of the song is despair and bitterness,” the complaint says.
After the fire began, the complaint says, Rinderknecht drove away from the scene but turned around after passing fire engines heading to battle the fire. He followed and filmed the firefighters battling the blaze.
Further, the complaint says, Rinderknecht used ChatGPT to create an image for him showing “a dystopian painting showing a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.” That rendering came months before the fire he is accused of setting.
Rinderknecht faces five to 20 years in prison if convicted.
