One Man Charged With Starting Palisades Fire That Destroyed 6,837 Structures and Changed Palisades Forever

Federal authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, a French-born Uber driver now living in Melbourne, Florida, for allegedly igniting the Palisades Fire that incinerated 6,900 structures, claimed 12 lives, and scorched 23,000 acres across Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu. The January 2025 blaze, one of Los Angeles’ most destructive wildfires, has left the affluent coastal community grappling with loss and a transformed landscape.

Timeline of a Catastrophe

On December 31, 2024, Rinderknecht, a former Pacific Palisades resident, was working as an Uber driver in Los Angeles. At approximately 11:45 p.m., he dropped off a passenger near the Skull Rock Trailhead in the Santa Monica Mountains. Federal investigators allege that at 12:12 a.m. on January 1, 2025, Rinderknecht deliberately ignited a small fire, later named the Lachman Fire, in the dry brush along the trail. Environmental sensors recorded the ignition at that precise moment, and digital evidence from his iPhone—geotagged videos of the initial flames and repeated plays of a French rap song glorifying arson—placed him at the scene.

By 12:30 a.m., Rinderknecht had left the trailhead, returning to his vehicle. The fire, initially a smolder, went unnoticed, burrowing into the parched undergrowth. Firefighters, alerted by a hiker’s report of smoke at 6:15 a.m., responded with water-dropping aircraft and hand crews, believing they had extinguished the blaze by 9:00 a.m. Unbeknownst to them, embers persisted underground, a “holdover” fire lying dormant.

For six days, faint smoke drifted through the canyons, dismissed by residents as remnants of New Year’s Eve fireworks or a nearby controlled burn. On January 7, at 8:00 a.m., Santa Ana winds gusting up to 38 mph revived the embers. By 10:30 a.m., the fire had exploded across 10 acres, racing toward Pacific Palisades. Evacuation orders were issued at 11:15 a.m., but gridlocked roads and dry fire hydrants in elevated areas hampered escapes. By noon, flames engulfed homes along Las Lomas Place and Corona del Mar Street. Aircraft were grounded by noon due to high winds, and the blaze, now dubbed the Palisades Fire, consumed entire neighborhoods. Containment was not achieved until January 31.

Evidence and Arrest

Investigators built their case using digital forensics, including Rinderknecht’s phone data showing his presence at the trailhead and videos of the fire’s early moments. In June 2024, he had used ChatGPT to generate images of burning cities, prompting the AI with phrases like “a city engulfed in flames, chaos in the streets.” On January 24, during an interview with authorities, Rinderknecht claimed he stumbled upon the fire accidentally, but returned that night to film the growing inferno.

Rinderknecht, born in France to American missionary parents, moved to Florida after the fire. He was arrested Tuesday near his Melbourne home and faces federal charges of destruction of property by means of fire, carrying a potential sentence of five to 20 years. Extradition to Los Angeles is underway, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 17. His public defender did not respond to requests for comment.

A Community Forever Altered

The Palisades Fire destroyed 6,900 structures, mostly homes, leaving behind cleared lots and charred foundations. The 12 fatalities included residents trapped in traffic and first responders overwhelmed by the blaze’s speed. Rebuilding, supported by millions in relief funds, continues amid debates over fireproofing regulations and lawsuits against utilities.

Rinderknecht’s arrest brings a measure of closure, but Pacific Palisades remains a changed landscape, its residents navigating the scars of a fire sparked by one man’s actions on a quiet New Year’s night.