Overview
- U.S. authorities have charged 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht with destruction of property by fire, alleging he set a small open-flame ignition just after midnight on Jan. 1 that smoldered and resurfaced on Jan. 7 as the Palisades Fire.
- A federal judge in Florida ordered him detained as a flight risk after his arrest near Orlando, with prosecutors noting family ties to France and setting a return to court for Oct. 17 as the case heads to a grand jury.
- An ATF agent testified that relatives recently reported a threat to burn down a Florida home and that agents found a gun hidden inside a stuffed animal, concerns that contributed to the detention decision.
- Investigators say he remained near the scene, repeatedly called 911 and offered to help firefighters, and digital forensics recovered a ChatGPT-generated burning-city image and a query about fault for fires started by cigarettes.
- A passenger from a New Year’s ride described the driver’s behavior as disturbing, and Uber said it removed his access to the platform and cooperated with the ATF throughout the nine-month investigation.