Overview

• Federal agents arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht in Florida on a federal arson count linked to the January Pacific Palisades blaze.
• Investigators cite surveillance video, call records, geolocation data placing him at the origin point, and items seized at his home that tested positive for fuel residue.
• Authorities describe an initial Jan. 1 blaze near a trail with a possible wind-driven re-ignition on Jan. 7, while published accounts differ on the precise start date.
• The fire killed 12 people, burned roughly 23,000 acres, damaged or destroyed more than 5,000 structures, prompted over 25,000 evacuations, and caused losses above $1.2 billion.
• Rinderknecht appeared in federal court in Orlando and will be transferred to the Central District of California as prosecutors continue forensic analyses and explore whether others were involved, with potential penalties up to life imprisonment or the death penalty under federal law.