(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Authorities in California have made an arrest in connection with the deadly January wildfire that erupted into the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history and destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, according to a law enforcement official not authorized to publicly discuss the case.
Authorities arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht for lighting a fire on New Year’s Day that burned down much of the Pacific Palisades a week later. He was arrested Tuesday in Florida and will appear in court Wednesday in that state.
The man started a fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 that later became the Palisades Fire, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference Wednesday.
According to a Justice Department press release, Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver on the night of Dec. 31.
“After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderknecht – who once lived in that neighborhood – drove towards Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, attempted to contact a former friend, and walked up the trail. He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listened to a rap song – to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days – whose music video included things being lit on fire,” the DOJ said.
Today we are announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.
⁰The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht's started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day –… pic.twitter.com/UzrFa0Lmrz— Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 8, 2025
“At 12:12 a.m. on January 1, 2025, environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman Fire had begun. During the next five minutes, Rinderknecht called 911 several times, but didn’t get through because his iPhone was out of cellphone range. When he finally connected with 911, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire. By that point, a nearby resident already had reported the fire to authorities.”
The blaze, which erupted on Jan. 7, killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and buildings in the Pacific Palisades, a wealthy coastal neighborhood of LA. The fire ripped through hillside neighborhoods, destroying mansions with spectacular views of the ocean and downtown Los Angeles.
Authorities interviewed Rinderknecht on Jan. 24, and he allegedly lied about where he was when he first saw the Lachman Fire.
“He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew,” the DOJ press release said.
Investigators still haven’t determined the cause of that blaze or the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the community of Altadena and killed 18 people.
Both fires burned for days, reducing block after block of entire neighborhoods to gray and black debris.
An outside review released in September found that a lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings.
The report commissioned by Los Angeles County supervisors said a series of weaknesses, including “outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities,” hampered the county’s response.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
