Authorities charge man with sparking deadly January wildfire that leveled LA neighborhoods

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 29-year-old man has been charged with sparking California’s deadly Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in its history, authorities said Wednesday.

Federal officials said Jonathan Rinderknecht, who lived in the area, started a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground before reigniting nearly a week later and roaring through Pacific Palisades, home to many of Los Angeles’ rich and famous.

The fire that left 12 dead in the hillside neighborhoods across Pacific Palisades and Malibu was one of two blazes that broke out on Jan. 7, killing more than 30 people in all and destroying over 17,000 homes and buildings while burning for days in Los Angeles County.

Rinderknecht was arrested Tuesday in Florida and made his first court appearance Wednesday in Orlando on charges including malicious destruction by means of a fire, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison. Wearing shorts and a T-shirt while shackled at the ankles, he told a federal magistrate in a soft-spoken voice that he was not under the influence and did not have mental issues.

The judge set a hearing for Thursday to consider bond and extradition proceedings, but prosecutors later requested that the hearing be postponed by more than a week. Aziza Hawthorne, the federal assistant public defender assigned to represent Rinderknecht, didn’t object to the change, prosecutors said. Messages seeking comment were left for Hawthorne and the public defender's office.

Suspect talked to authorities three weeks after the fire

Investigators said Wednesday that Rinderknecht had been working as an Uber driver, and after dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, he parked and walked up a trail. He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listen to a rap song with a music video showing objects being lit on fire, prosecutors said.

He fled the scene after starting the fire, but returned to the same trail to watch it burn, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.

“He left as soon as he saw the fire trucks were headed to the location. He turned around and went back up there. And he took some video and, and watched them fight the fire,” Essayli said.

Uber said in a statement that it worked with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine the driver’s whereabouts around the time of the fire.

Rinderknecht also made several 911 calls to report the fire, according to a criminal complaint.

During an interview Jan. 24, Rinderknecht told investigators where the fire began, information not yet public and that he would not have known if he hadn’t witnessed it, according to the criminal complaint.

He lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, Essayli said.

The suspect was visibly anxious during that interview, according to the complaint. His efforts to call 911 and his question to ChatGPT about a cigarette lighting a fire indicated he “wanted to preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire and he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire,” the complaint said.

Investigators say they found a lighter

Investigators determined the Jan. 1 fire was intentionally lit, likely by a lighter taken to vegetation or paper, according to the criminal complaint. They excluded other possibilities, including fireworks, lightning and power lines. Authorities also looked into whether a cigarette may have caused the fire, but concluded that was not the cause, the complaint says.

Investigators found a “barbecue-style” lighter inside the glove compartment of Rinderknecht's car on Jan. 24. It appeared to be the same lighter as one that was in his apartment on Dec. 31, based on a photo on his phone. He admitted to bringing a lighter with him when he walked up the hill.

Linking fires that were days apart

Federal prosecutors will need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Palisades Fire grew from the blaze that broke out six days earlier, said Jerod Gunsberg, a California criminal defense attorney with experience in arson cases.

But he said that's something defense attorneys are likely to question. “The defense is going to say, ‘How do we know it was the same guy? There’s a lot of time that went on in between these two fires,’” said Gunsberg, who is not involved in the Palisades case. “So the prosecutors will have to show that evidence.”

Even if firefighters thought the original fire was extinguished, he said, that does not absolve someone from being held accountable. "You’re not off the hook,” Gunsberg said.

Second LA fire remains under investigation

Investigators still haven’t determined the cause of a second blaze called the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the community of Altadena and killed 19 people.

Both fires reduced block after block of entire neighborhoods to gray and black debris, destroying homes, schools, businesses and churches. While rebuilding is underway in some neighborhoods, it will take years. Many homeowners will not be able to afford it, even those with insurance.

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.