US EditionFlorida Man Arrested, Charged in Deadly Palisades Fire
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, faces federal arson charges for igniting a fire that burned over 23,000 acres, destroyed nearly 7,000 structures, and killed 12 people, 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among the most destructive in Los Angeles history, prompting a September review that blamed resource shortages and outdated emergency policies for delayed evacuations.
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Authorities charge man in deadly Calif. wildfire
LOS ANGELES — A 29-year-old man charged with sparking one of the most destructive blazes in California history likely used a lighter to start a fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground and reignited almost a week later, killing…
A reckless man has been arrested in the US for starting a massive wildfire that has killed dozens of people in California and damaged more than 6,000 homes.
In Los Angeles it burns for weeks at the beginning of the year. Thousands of houses are destroyed, dozens of people die. Now investigators arrest a 29-year-old. He is suspected to have laid the biggest of the fires. He probably reveals himself with his own videos.
Reaction to man arrested for igniting the Palisades Fire in California
LOS ANGELES (NBC, KYMA) - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Pacific Palisades residents shared their reaction to the arrest of a 29-year-old man who started the January fires earlier this year. Mayor Bass reacted to Wednesday's news during a press conference saying for her, the arrest doesn't bring closure, but it is a step in the right direction. Bass said she's looking forward to reviewing the after action report once it's released to prevent a…
US police have arrested a man in connection with the deadly and intense wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year. The 29-year-old man is suspected of deliberately starting a New Year's Day fire that burned out but continued to smolder underground and flared up again in high winds. The US Department of Justice calls it one of the "worst fires ever in Los Angeles." The suspect faces a maximum prison sentence of twenty years. Hollywood stars. The…
Nine months after the terrible fires that ravaged Pacific Palisades and Malibu, on the coast of Los Angeles, California, police have finally arrested a suspect related to the case. If in the North Fire, Eaton, in Altadena, the causes pointed to problems due to the increase in voltage of an electricity tower, it seems, instead, that the Palisades may have been provoked.
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