US authorities announced this Wednesday, October 8, the arrest of a suspect in the investigation into the deadly January fires in Los Angeles. He is suspected of starting the fire that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and killed 12 people.
“The recklessness of a single person sparked one of the worst fires in Los Angeles, causing death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” said California U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old Uber driver, allegedly started this fire on New Year’s Eve, in the hills overlooking this wealthy area of the Californian megalopolis.
Present at the scene of the fire.
According to Bill Essayli’s account on Wednesday, Jonathan Rinderknecht dropped off customers that night near where the flames started. The geolocation data collected by investigators show that he was about 10 meters from the start of the fire, when he himself tried to call emergency services to report the fire.
Investigation showed he lived a block from the Skull Rock trailhead, where the fire allegedly started. He then moved to Florida, where he was arrested Tuesday, shortly after the fires.
Investigators have not identified a clear motive, but have gathered evidence they believe is relevant. They said they also found evidence that the suspect was fascinated by fire and destruction, citing his online history, including his ChatGPT queries.
Fascinated by fire
In the days leading up to the New Year, Jonathan Rinderknecht listened at least nine times to at least one song by French rapper Josman, in which clip the artist appears lighting a fire. As reported by USA Today, the 29-year-old man indicated that he grew up in France and speaks French fluently.
Another worrying fact for researchers: its use of artificial intelligence. In July 2024, he asked ChatGPT to generate a “dystopian painting” of a burning forest, including a crowd of residents fleeing while other people watch and enjoy themselves, The New York Times reports.
A few months later, he wrote on ChatGPT that he had burned a Bible. “It was incredible. I felt so liberated,” he confided.
According to the account of American investigators, while on the phone with emergency services when the fire started, Jonathan Rinderknecht asked the artificial intelligence site: “Are you to blame if a fire breaks out because of your cigarettes?”
Did not plead guilty
According to USA Today, investigators believe that after lighting the first flames, the suspect returned to the trail to take photos and videos of the fire and firefighters trying to put it out. They also found a lighter in the glove compartment of his car.
An Uber customer of Jonathan Rinderknecht early on New Year’s Eve said he seemed agitated and angry during the ride, the BBC reports.
During a press conference this Wednesday, California federal prosecutor Bill Essayli clarified that the suspect had no criminal record. When he appeared briefly in state court Wednesday, Jonathan Rinderknecht did not enter a plea. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Investigators said they reviewed more than 13,000 pieces of evidence and more than one million phone records as part of their investigation. In addition to the fire that devastated Pacific Palisades, a second fire hit the suburb of Altadena in January, killing 19 people. The investigation also continues, but the preferred lead is that of a faulty power line that would have generated sparks.
Source: BFM TV
