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Florida Man Charged With Starting New Year’s Blaze That Became Deadly Palisades Fire

Prosecutors cite cellphone location data, surveillance footage, controlled-burn analysis, plus an AI-generated image as key evidence.

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FILE - An aerial view shows the devastation left by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file)
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Firefighters watch the flames from the Palisades Fire burning a home on January 8, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Overview

  • Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested near his home in Melbourne, Florida, and is set to appear in federal court in Orlando today.
  • He is charged in a criminal complaint with destruction of property by means of fire, a federal arson count carrying a five- to 20-year penalty.
  • Prosecutors allege he worked as an Uber driver on New Year’s Eve, walked up a Pacific Palisades trail just after midnight, and lit an open-flame fire that firefighters knocked down as the Lachman Fire.
  • Investigators say the fire smoldered underground for days, then resurfaced during fierce winds on Jan. 7 to become the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 structures.
  • The ATF-led probe gathered over 13,000 pieces of evidence, including cellphone geolocation, surveillance, 911 data, witness statements, controlled-burn tests, and an AI-generated image; the cause of the separate Eaton Fire in Altadena remains under review.