Arrest Made In Palisades Wildfire That Killed 12 People
on Oct 08, 2025
29-Year-Old Male Is Suspect In Deadly Fire
At the beginning of 2025, the nation had its eyes on Los Angeles, California, as a wildfire swept through suburbs.
The fire broke out on January 7 in the Santa Monica Mountains, and it took 24 days to contain the fire that had ravaged communities in the Palisades and Malibu by January 31.
Now, on October 8, the public has been notified of an arrest that was made regarding the cause of the fire.
The suspect, named Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested in Melbourne, Florida, on Tuesday, October 7. He is charged with Destruction of Property by Means of Fire.
In this fire, 23,448 acres were burned, destroying 6,837 structures.
12 people also died.
What We Know
While the Palisades Wildfire started on January 7, the criminal complaint against Rinderknecht, dubbed the United States of America v. Jonathan Rinderknecht, alleges the fire began on New Year’s Day.
Starting on January 1, the criminal complaint cites the January 1 Lachman Fire as being connected to the start of the Palisades Fire.
The complaint reads, alleging:
“Specifically, RINDERKNECHT burned federal property within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, as well as property owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and California State Parks, two institutions or organizations receiving federal financial assistance.”
Presently, there are no charges pertaining to the deaths of the 12 victims of the Palisades Fire.
Responding to the arrest of Rinderknecht, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X her praise of the efforts made by Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and federal agents, adding that the Department of Justice “will deliver justice for the Palisades Fire and keep Californians safe — even if California leadership won’t.”
Breaking down the arrest of Rinderknecht, Essayli posted on X, “Among the evidence that was collected from his digital devices was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city.”
Further, Essayli said, “While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy.”
See Essayli’s full post, here:
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.
— Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 8, 2025
⁰The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht's started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day –… pic.twitter.com/UzrFa0Lmrz
Jonathan Rinderknecht appeared in the U.S. District Court in Orlando at 1:30 p.m. EST on October 8.
During a press conference on October 8, Essayli presented how Rinderknecht allegedly set the fire, saying:
“Late last New Year’s Eve, Rinderknecht returned to the Pacific Palisades after working the evening shift as an Uber driver. Two of his passengers told law enforcement that he appeared agitated and angry that night. After dropping off a passenger … Rinderknecht parked his car … took iPhone videos at a nearby hilltop and listened to a rap song whose music video included objects being set on fire.”
From there, Essayli said that a fire was detected 12 minutes into the new year, adding that the suspect contacted 911 of the fire set in Lachman.
“He fled the scene in his car, but turned around after passing fire engines driving the opposite direction to fight the fire,” he noted. “While the Lachman fire burned, the defendant walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and firefighters, using his iPhone to take short videos of the scene.”
The fire was suppressed, but Essayli said that the fire continued “smoldering underground,” with strong winds eventually bringing the fire out into the Palisades.
On January 24, authorities made contact with Rinderknecht, but he lied about his whereabouts.
At the press conference, Essayli said that Rinderknecht was the only individual at that location, per iPhone tracking. Additionally, there were no fireworks in the vicinity that could’ve started the fire.
More charges may be leveled against the suspect at a later date.
Watch the full press conference on the arrest of a suspect in the Palisades Wildfire, here:
