Florida Man Arrested, Charged in Deadly Palisades Fire
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested in Florida for allegedly igniting the Palisades Fire that destroyed over 6,000 acres and caused $1.4 billion in damages, officials said.
- On October 8, 2025, officials revealed that Jonathan Rinderknecht, age 29, had been taken into custody in Florida on felony charges stemming from the devastating January wildfire in Pacific Palisades, which resulted in 12 fatalities and destroyed over 6,000 buildings.
- Authorities claim that after finishing an Uber shift on New Year’s Eve, Rinderknecht deliberately set a fire with an open flame in the Pacific Palisades area; the fire smoldered for days before intense winds caused it to flare up.
- Investigators excluded fireworks, lightning, power lines, and cigarettes as ignition sources, gathered evidence including a ChatGPT-generated image of a burning city, and obtained statements showing Rinderknecht returned to view the fire.
- Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli acknowledged that although the harm caused cannot be reversed, he hopes that holding the suspect accountable in court will offer some justice to those impacted by this devastating incident.
- The fire ranks among the most destructive in Los Angeles history, prompting a September review that blamed resource shortages and outdated emergency policies for delayed evacuations.
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What We Know About the Man Arrested in the Palisades Fire Case
The man accused of starting a fire that would later ignite one of most destructive conflagrations in California history was described on Thursday as a lonely young man whose mental health had been declining and who looked to ChatGPT for guidance. A day earlier, the authorities in Los Angeles said in court documents that Jonathan Rinderknecht used a lighter to start a small fire on a hiking trail in the early hours of New Year’s Day. Firefighters…
Morano on Dr. Drew’s show on Calif Wildfires & the collapse of climate agenda
Ask Dr. Drew – Broadcast October 9, 2025 Jonathan Rinderknecht, a man from Florida, was arrested for allegedly starting one of the worst wildfires in California history. Marc Morano is publisher of ClimateDepot.com, a former Senate Environment Committee staffer, and author of The Great Reset: Global Elites and the Permanent Lockdown. He produced Climate Hustle […]
Man charged over LA’s deadly Palisades Fire
What happenedFederal officials in Los Angeles Wednesday announced the arrest of a 29-year-old former Uber driver for allegedly sparking the Palisades Fire, which tore through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood and parts of Malibu in January, destroying thousands of homes and killing 12 people. The suspect, Jonathan Rinderknecht, was arrested at his home in Melbourne, Florida, on Tuesday.Who said what“A single person’s recklessness caused …


What we know about Jonathan Rinderknecht, man accused of sparking deadly Palisades Fire
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, allegedly used a lighter to set the fire, then called 911. He fled the scene but returned to watch it burn, authorities said. Here's what we know about his background.
Man Charged with Starting Palisades Fire That Killed 12 in Los Angeles
Months after the Palisades Fire devastated parts of Los Angeles County and killed 12 people, federal authorities have arrested Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, accused of deliberately setting the blaze. Rinderknecht allegedly… The post Man Arrested for Allegedly Starting Deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles appeared first on .
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