A former Pacific Palisades resident has been charged with maliciously starting what eventually became the Palisades Fire of January, considered among the most destructive wildfires in city history.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, or “Jonathan Rinder,” of Melbourne, Florida, is charged with destruction of property by means of fire. He was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 7. If convicted, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
“The complaint alleges that a single person’s recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “While we cannot bring back what victims lost, we hope this criminal case brings some measure of justice to those affected by this horrific tragedy.”
Law enforcement found that the Palisades Fire was a “holdover” fire, continuing from the Lachman Fire that began on New Year’s Day 2025. Firefighters suppressed the Lachman Fire, but unknown to anyone, the fire continued to smolder and burn underground. Heavy winds on Jan. 7 caused the underground fire to surface and spread into the Palisades Fire.
The Palisades Fire caused extensive damage and killed 12 people.
(Chris Mortenson/Staff)
Through using witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns, law enforcement determined that Rinderknecht set the fire maliciously on land owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, an organization that received federal funding.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver on Dec. 31, 2024, and two passengers recall that he appeared agitated and angry that night. He drove to Skull Rock Trailhead after work. At 12:12 a.m. the following morning, environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman Fire had began and during the next five minutes, Rinderknecht called 911 several times. His iPhone, however, was out of range. He later fled the scene. During an interview with law enforcement on Jan. 24, he lied about where he saw the fire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office continued. He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire.
“More than nine months ago, our city faced one of the most devastating periods our region had ever seen,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. “Lives were tragically lost. Thousands of homes were destroyed. Our heroic firefighters fought the blaze valiantly with no rest. Each day that families are displaced is a day too long, and as we are working tirelessly to bring Angelenos home, we are also working towards closure and towards justice — and today is a step forward in that process.
“I want to thank the federal Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their work, and the leadership of Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department for their efforts, both of which were part of a multi-jurisdictional task force that led to this arrest,” she continued. “Now that this phase of the investigation has concluded, the City will release the LAFD after action report shortly.”
In a letter to City Council on Oct. 9, Bass called for the adoption of an ordinance that would assist in the establishment of a one-time exemption to Measure ULA for Palisade homeowners and announced that once the ordinance is adopted she would issue an executive directive to direct the Office of Finance to create the rule providing this exemption, trying to provide new relief for the Palisades Fire survivors.
More than 6,000 structures were destroyed in the Palisades Fire.
(Chris Mortenson/Staff)
“Exempting owners of homes, condominiums and other residential housing whose ownership was affected by these devastating wildfires from Measure ULA for a onetime exemption over three years will speed up sales of these properties and spur rebuilding and rehabilitation of the Palisades,” the letter read. “This will create more housing citywide, and generate higher Measure ULA tax revenue when these rebuilt or renovated properties are subsequently sold to new homeowners because those second and subsequent sales will remain subject to Measure ULA.”