Joel and Jennifer Rinderknecht live in France as missionaries for Association of Baptists for World Evangelism
As the man accused of intentionally sparking a New Year’s Day blaze that morphed into the deadly and devastating Palisades wildfire – killing twelve – is held without bail, a pastor at the church where his parents are missionaries in France said they “grieve and pray” for those who lost everything.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested last week in Melbourne, Florida and charged in California’s Central District with “maliciously” using a lighter to set a wildfire in Topanga State Park in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day. The Lachman fire continued to rage underground as what is known as a “holdover fire,” which was reignited on Jan. 7 with the ferocious Santa Ana winds to become the Palisades fire, federal prosecutors say.
The former Uber driver, according to the ATF, had apparently planned his crime and had entered a prompt into ChatGPT about rich people and fire that created eerie AI imagery in July 2024. Rinderknecht had lived near Skull Rock Trailhead in the state park and set the fire, prosecutors say, in a clearing known as Hidden Buddha.
Five months ago, he moved to Florida to live with a sister, which is where he was arrested. In recent weeks, he had threatened to burn her house down and shoot his brother-in-law, prosecutors say, forcing his sister and her family to flee their own home before Rinderknecht was arrested.
His parents, Joel and Jennifer, are missionaries who live in the south of France, where their son, who speaks fluent French, spent much of his time. His father flew to Florida last month after his son allegedly threatened to shoot his brother in law, and reported the incident to local police on Sept. 25. When his son was arrested, ATF agents recovered a loaded .380 magazine but the gun would not be recovered until later when it was found secreted inside a stuffed animal hidden in his sister’s garage, according to a court filing.
“Our hearts are heavy for everyone affected by the Palisades fires—those who were injured, lost loved ones, or suffered the loss of homes and livelihoods. We grieve with them and pray for their recovery, comfort, and restoration,” Pastor Alex Kocman for the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, the Christian organization where the accused arsonist’s parents work, said in an email to Los Angeles.
Kocman said the church “has been made aware of the recent criminal charges involving the adult son of one of our missionary families, Joel and Jennifer Rinderknecht,” he was quick to point out that his actions are not connected to his parents’ ministry work.
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“As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that every person is made in the image of God and accountable to him. We also believe in the hope of redemption through the gospel—that through repentance and faith in Christ, anyone can find forgiveness, healing, and new life,” Kocman wrote. “In moments like this, we cling to that hope while trusting in the justice and mercy of God, who alone can bring good even out of brokenness.”
Rinderknecht is expected back in an Orlando federal courtroom on Oct. 17. On Tuesday, an attorney based in Michigan, Steve Haney, filed a motion to the U.S. District Court in Florida where Rinderknecht is being held, saying that he had been retained for his defense.
Michele McPhee
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