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among the most destructive in Los Angeles history, prompting a September review that blamed resource shortages and outdated emergency policies for delayed evacuations.
454 Articles
454 Articles
Omaha World-Herald
Authorities charge man in deadly Calif. wildfire
LOS ANGELES — A 29-year-old man was charged with sparking California's deadly Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in its history, authorities said Wednesday.
The Washington Hispanic
udgtvA man was arrested suspected of having started a deadly fire that in January devoured a luxurious coastal community in Southern California, reported U.S. authorities on Wednesday. Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested on Tuesday in Florida, in the east of the country, and must appear before the court to answer charges of destruction of property by fire, in connection with the hell that killed a dozen people and charred thousands of Pacific Pal…
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.
Hanford Sentinel
Los Angeles TimesFlorida man accused of intentionally starting fire that destroyed Pacific Palisades
LOS ANGELES — The most destructive inferno in Los Angeles history, which charred a devastating path through Pacific Palisades and Malibu in early January, was a flare-up of a fire that an Uber driver intentionally set days earlier near a…
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.
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