A 29-year-old Central Florida man accused of setting what eventually turned into the devastating Palisades fire was described as a loner with a “despondent view of the world” who lived paycheck to paycheck by driving for Uber and DoorDash.
Jonathan Rinderknecht moved in with family members in Florida months after he allegedly set the Lachman fire in the Pacific Palisades using “an open flame,” requiring firefighters to spend hours putting it out on Jan. 1, where it continued smoldering underground until fierce winds reignited the blaze on Jan. 7, federal authorities have said.
Around the time he set the fire, Rinderknecht was apparently falling out with friends and had broken up with a girlfriend. He worked for Uber the night of Dec. 31, where two customers recalled him appearing “agitated and angry.” The last customer was dropped off in a residential area of the Pacific Palisades around 11:34 p.m., less than an hour before the Lachman fire broke out.
Court documents, attorneys in federal court hearings and a man who knew Rinderknecht through a relative have given a more detailed look into Rinderknecht, who is charged with destruction of property by means of fire. Federal prosecutors said they plan to present the case to a grand jury and more charges could be added, Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.
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The Palisades fire, the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles, killed 12 people, scorched more than 23,000 acres and damaged or destroyed nearly 7,000 structures before it was fully contained by firefighters on Jan. 31.
Rinderknecht was raised in France and lived for a while in Grand Rapids, Michigan as well as Florida, where he was arrested Tuesday during a traffic stop. It was unclear when Rinderknecht moved out to Southern California or how long he had lived there, but he was said to have lived in the Pacific Palisades and public records show he lived at an apartment complex in Hollywood, though an apartment manager told a reporter Wednesday that he was not authorized to provide a statement.
Rinderknecht speaks fluent French and has family living in Florida and France.
Robert Shellhouse, 64, of Hart, Michigan, said he knew Rinderknecht through a relative and remembered him to have anger issues. At one point, Rinderknecht put his fist through a wall, which the relative had to pay for.
In July 2024, Rinderknecht apparently entered a detailed prompt into ChatGPT asking the app to create a dystopian city where one side included a burning forest with people running away from the fire toward the middle and trying to get through a gate with a “big dollar sign on it,” while on the other side “is a conglomerate of the richest people,” chilling and watching the world burn down while laughing and dancing, federal officials said.
In August 2024, according to an affidavit, he wrote to a family member that he “Burned the Bible I had literally,” and in November, he wrote a prompt in ChatGPT that included that he had “burnt the Bible that I had. It felt amazing. I felt so liberated.”
Rinderknecht was reportedly working for Uber, picking up customers at 10:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. on December 31 in the Pacific Palisades, where he lived for a time about a block away from the trailhead leading up to the Hidden Buddha clearing, near where the Lachman fire was set.
After dropping off the last customer at 11:34 p.m., he allegedly drove toward the Skull Rock Trailhead and attempted to call an ex-girlfriend through Facebook Messenger, but she did not pick up.
He walked up to the clearing, an area he and a former friend would visit frequently, and took videos of the view on his iPhone, the affidavit continued. He listened to the rap song “Un Dzer, Un The,” by Josman, a song about despair and bitterness that he had listened to nine times in the previous four days. He also watched a music video associated with the song, which shows Josman burning objects.
A short time later, Rinderknecht is accused of starting the Lachman fire “with an open flame” – possibly a green, barbecue-style lighter that was found in the glove compartment of his car. Rinderknecht tried calling 911 from the clearing, but the calls wouldn’t go through. It wasn’t until about five minutes later, after he walked down the trail, that he got through to a dispatcher. As he drove away, he saw firefighters heading up toward the fire. He turned around and went back up the hill, filming the firefighters on his iPhone as they battled the blaze, officials said.
Federal authorities interviewed Rinderknecht on Jan. 24 and later discovered inconsistencies with his story after obtaining his cellphone GPS records.
Later, in the spring, Rinderknecht got into his car and drove to Melbourne, Florida, where he moved into a house with his sister and brother-in-law about five months ago.
In the past month, local police were called to the Florida house twice, the first time after Rinderknecht allegedly threatened to blow up the home during an argument, and the second time after he allegedly said he had a firearm and would use it in self-defense against his brother-in-law, according to ATF Special Agent Thomas Harrison.
Rinderknecht was allowed to stay at the house while his sister and her family moved out.
Since then, he has been seeing a psychiatrist and was put on medication. His siblings attended his court hearing on Thursday, but none spoke as a witness.
Rinderknecht was ordered by a judge to remain jailed until his next court hearing on Oct. 17, where a judge will hear at least some of the evidence prosecutors have against him.