Family of Accused Arsonist Speaks Out After Deadly Palisades Fire Charges

In a statement, Jonathan Rinderknecht’s father Joel said his son is a “scapegoat” for the “failure of others” that led to the deadly and destructive Palisades fire

The father of accused arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht told Los Angeles in a statement that his son is a “scapegoat” who is being held criminally liable for the “failure of others” in preventing the explosive Palisades fire that killed twelve and destroyed nearly 6800 homes and businesses.

Federal prosecutors say the younger Rinderknecht “maliciously set” a brushfire in Topanga State Park just after the city rang in the New Year, a blaze that became known as the Lachman fire, one that smoldered for seven days and ignited the Palisades fire on Jan. 7. He was arrested on a single felony count on Oct. 7 in Florida, and the two additional charges were added to his federal indictment.

“There is a lot of misinformation that has wrongfully portrayed our son Jonathan in a false light,” Joel Rinderknect wrote. He and his wife Jennifer are missionaries working in the south of France. The suspect’s father said he and his family stand by their son’s lawyer’s statement that, “To scapegoat Jonathan Rinderknecht and attempt to hold him criminally liable for the failure of others is preposterous.”

His father went on to write that he believes in his son’s innocence. “We steadfastly believe, and are eager for the truth to be told, which will clear Jonathan and our family’s name. We would appreciate your prayers.”

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms – who are leading the investigation into the cause of the Palisades fire – say the younger Rinderknecht, 29, a former Uber driver, dropped off his last passenger on New Year’s Eve, then drove to his old neighborhood near Topanga State Park. He hiked to a clearing, prosecutors now say, known as Hidden Buddha near the Skull Rock trailhead.

Federal prosecutors say they spent months gathering witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns, which led then to determine that Rinderknecht was responsible for that wildfire, which then became a “holdover fire,” that sparked the Palisades fire.