LOS ANGELES
Federal prosecutors have charged a former Pacific Palisades resident with igniting the Palisades Fire of January 2025, one of the most destructive wildfires in city history, according to officials.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, also known as “Jonathan Rinder” and “Jon Rinder,” was arrested Tuesday in Melbourne, Fla., on a criminal complaint alleging destruction of property by fire.
According to a federal affidavit, investigators concluded that the Palisades Fire of January 2025 was a “holdover” blaze — a rekindling of the Lachman Fire that broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Although firefighters quickly extinguished that initial blaze, embers smoldered unseen in dense root systems until heavy winds on Jan. 7 drove the flames above ground, engulfing parts of Pacific Palisades.
Prosecutors allege that Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, deliberately set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 near Skull Rock Trailhead, on land owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.
The blaze later spread onto federally funded property, turning into the fire that caused widespread destruction a week later.
Authorities said their conclusion rested on witness accounts, cellphone data, surveillance footage, and fire-pattern analysis. The affidavit details that on New Year’s Eve, Rinderknecht, working as an Uber driver, appeared agitated to passengers.
Later that night, prosecutors say, he parked near the trailhead, attempted to contact a former friend, recorded videos on a hilltop, and listened to a rap song with imagery of fire.
At 12:12 a.m., environmental sensors detected flames. Rinderknecht repeatedly dialed 911 before reaching dispatch, but investigators said phone records place him about 30 feet from the fire’s origin — contradicting his claim that he spotted the blaze from a distance. After reporting the fire, he allegedly drove past fire engines, returned to the scene and filmed the response.
Rinderknecht, who has denied wrongdoing, is charged with destruction of property by fire. A conviction carries a minimum of five years in prison and up to 20 years.