Jonathan Rinderknecht “maliciously set” a blaze in the early morning on New Year’s Day 2025 that smoldered and exploded into the deadly Palisades fire that killed 12
The former Pacific Palisades resident who has been held in federal custody since his arrest last October on charges he used a lighter to spark the Lachman fire on a trailhead in Topanga Park, a blaze that smoldered and erupted into the deadly Palisades fire, is now scheduled to go on trial in June, according to court documents.
Jonathan Rinderknecht’s court docket is filled with sealed documents in the months since the 29-year-old was arrested at his sister’s house in Florida. On Friday, the court pushed his trial to June.
If convicted, Rinderknecht would serve between five and 45 years in prison for his connection to the Palisades fire that caused $150 billion in damages. Months before the fire, investigators say, Rinderknecht created an eerie AI image of fire using ChatGPT. On the night he allegedly lit the fire, he was listening to a rap song about setting things ablaze, investigators say.
Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty to three federal arson charges: one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, one count of destruction of property by means of fire, and one count of timber set afire, connected to the Lachman fire, which prosecutors say he “maliciously set.”
The blaze smoldered underground for days and became what is known as a “holdover fire,” which then reignited and became the deadly and devastating Palisades fire, ATF and Los Angeles Fire Department officials say.
Michele McPhee
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