Overview

• The suspect was taken into custody on October 8 in Florida on a federal count related to destruction of property by fire, officials said.
• Investigators say GPS data placed him within roughly 10 meters of the ignition point, supported by surveillance footage and files recovered from his devices, including AI-generated images of a city in flames.
• Authorities allege the fire was set near a popular hiking area shortly after midnight on New Year’s, then smoldered before strong winds reignited it days later into the Pacific Palisades blaze.
• The man, identified in some reports as an Uber driver, had been interviewed in mid-January and acknowledged being nearby but gave inconsistent location details, according to investigators.
• Officials report no known motive, and they are assessing possible ties to other January fires as the case moves into initial court proceedings.