Federal investigators just cracked one of the most devastating arson cases in California history.
They tracked down a Florida man who thought he could get away with murder by playing the Good Samaritan.
And a Florida man got caught red-handed after ChatGPT images exposed his twisted plan to watch Los Angeles burn.
29-year-old arsonist triggers worst fire in LA history
The Palisades Fire became a nightmare that most Californians will never forget.
Twelve people died in the flames.
Nearly 6,800 homes and businesses turned to ash.
The wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood – where the median home sold for $3.54 million – became a moonscape of destruction.¹
For months, investigators worked around the clock to figure out what started the January inferno.
Now they have their answer – and it’s more disturbing than anyone imagined.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, of Melbourne, Florida, set the fire that killed 12 people and caused $150 billion in damage.²
This wasn’t some guy who accidentally dropped a cigarette.
This wasn’t a campfire that got out of hand.
Federal prosecutors say Rinderknecht used an open flame to start the blaze, then called 911 to report it – playing the helpful citizen while watching his handiwork spread.³
Digital evidence reveals months of sick planning
You think that’s bad?
It gets worse.
Rinderknecht had been dreaming about burning cities for months before he finally did it.
In July 2024 – five months before the fire – he used ChatGPT to create AI images of a "dystopian painting" showing a burning forest with crowds of people running for their lives.⁴
The ChatGPT prompt he used reads like the manifesto of someone who hates successful people: "In the middle [of the painting], hundreds of thousands of people in poverty are trying to get past a gigantic gate with a big dollar sign on it."
"On the other side of the gate and the entire wall is a conglomerate of the richest people. They are chilling, watching the world burn down, and watching the people struggle. They are laughing, enjoying themselves, and dancing."⁵
A month before the fire, this sicko typed into ChatGPT: "I literally burnt the Bible that I had. It felt amazing. I felt so liberated."⁶
And while he was trying to call 911 after setting the fire, Rinderknecht asked ChatGPT: "Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?"⁷
This wasn’t some accident or moment of stupidity.
This was calculated, premeditated destruction by someone who wanted to watch wealthy neighborhoods burn.
Uber passengers noticed arsonist’s bizarre behavior
The night of December 31, 2024, Rinderknecht was working his Uber shift in the Pacific Palisades – the same wealthy neighborhood he would target hours later.
Two passengers who rode with him that night told federal investigators he seemed upset and agitated during their trips.⁸
After dropping off his final passenger at 11:45 p.m. on Palisades Drive, Rinderknecht drove to the Skull Rock Trailhead – a spot he knew well because he used to live just one block away.
He parked his car, tried unsuccessfully to contact a former friend, then walked up the trail with his iPhone.⁹
What happened next shows this guy’s sick obsession with fire.
He took videos on his phone and listened repeatedly to a French rap song titled "Un Zder, Un The" that featured fire imagery in its music video.
https://twitter.com/USAttyEssayli/status/1975954598201536880
At 12:12 a.m. on New Year’s Day, environmental sensors detected the start of what became known as the Lachman Fire.¹⁰
Rinderknecht set it with an open flame, then tried calling 911 multiple times but couldn’t get through because of poor cell service in the mountains.
By the time he finally connected with an emergency operator, a nearby resident had already reported the fire.
Arsonist returns to scene to film his destruction
And then it gets even sicker.
After setting the fire, he fled the scene in his car – but only temporarily.
When he saw fire engines racing toward the blaze, he made a U-turn and followed them back at high speed.¹¹
He wanted to watch his handiwork.
Around 1:02 a.m., Rinderknecht walked back up the same trail where he’d started the fire and used his iPhone to record videos of firefighters battling the flames.¹²
The sicko was literally filming his own crime scene.
But here’s the thing about underground fires – they don’t always stay put.
Firefighters thought they had quickly suppressed the Lachman Fire on January 1st.
What they didn’t know was that it kept smoldering underground in the root system of dense vegetation for nearly a week.
On January 7th, heavy winds hit and the underground fire exploded back to the surface – turning into the Palisades Fire that ripped through Los Angeles.¹³
https://twitter.com/IngrahamAngle/status/1976084524842049896
Rinderknecht got his wish.
Rich neighborhoods in flames and the whole city in chaos.
Federal investigators piece together the evidence
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the arrest at a Wednesday press conference, saying this was among the worst fires Los Angeles has ever experienced.¹⁴
The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Los Angeles Fire Department, and the LAPD working together for months.
Special Agent in Charge Kenny Cooper said federal investigators conducted an exhaustive investigation, with agents literally crawling through burned areas to pinpoint exactly where the fire started.¹⁵
They used witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone tower data, and fire pattern analysis to build their case.
The key breakthrough came from Rinderknecht’s own iPhone.
Geolocation data showed he was standing just 30 feet from the fire as it began to spread – contradicting his claim to investigators that he was at the bottom of the trail when he first spotted the flames.¹⁶
His phone also contained all those disturbing ChatGPT conversations and the videos he shot while watching firefighters battle his fire.
Uber immediately removed Rinderknecht from their platform once they learned of his involvement and cooperated fully with the federal investigation.¹⁷
Justice finally comes for fire victims
Rinderknecht was arrested Tuesday at his Florida home and appeared in federal court Wednesday in Orlando.
He’s been charged with destruction of property by means of fire and faces a minimum of five years in federal prison – with a maximum of 20 years.¹⁸
More charges, including murder, could follow as the case develops.
Governor Gavin Newsom said the arrest represents an important step toward understanding how the devastating Palisades Fire began and providing closure to thousands of affected Californians.¹⁹
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass thanked federal investigators for their work, calling the arrest an important step toward closure and justice.²⁰
But for the families who lost loved ones and the thousands who lost everything they owned, no amount of justice can undo what this sick individual did to their community.
The Palisades Fire ranks as the ninth deadliest wildfire in California history and the third-most destructive in Southern California.
The fire burned 23,448 acres and destroyed about 6,800 structures, killing 12 people.²¹
The evidence was right there in his ChatGPT history – months of fantasizing about fires and destruction before he finally acted on his sick obsessions.
Now Jonathan Rinderknecht will spend the next decade or two behind bars, where he belongs.
¹ Los Angeles Patch, "5 Things To Know About The Uber Driver Accused Of Setting The Palisades Fire And The Case Against Him," October 8, 2025.
² Jayan, Arun, "Florida man arrested for allegedly starting Palisades fire that killed 12, caused $150B in damage," MEAWW, October 9, 2025.
³ U.S. Department of Justice, "Florida Man Arrested on Federal Criminal Complaint Alleging He Maliciously Started What Became the Palisades Fire," October 8, 2025.
⁴ Faguy, Ana and Nardine Saad, "ChatGPT image snares suspect in deadly Pacific Palisades fire," BBC News, October 9, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ U.S. Department of Justice, "Florida Man Arrested on Federal Criminal Complaint Alleging He Maliciously Started What Became the Palisades Fire," October 8, 2025.
⁹- ¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ Gibson, Jamilka, "Pacific Palisades Fire suspect arrested at Florida home, neighbors react," CBS12, October 8, 2025.
¹⁵ American Faith, "Florida Man Arrested for Palisades Fire," October 9, 2025.
¹⁶ U.S. Department of Justice, "Florida Man Arrested on Federal Criminal Complaint Alleging He Maliciously Started What Became the Palisades Fire," October 8, 2025.
¹⁷ Blankstein, Andrew, Eric Leonard, Minyvonne Burke and Phil Helsel, "29-year-old former Uber driver arrested in connection with starting deadly Palisades Fire," NBC News, October 8, 2025.
¹⁸ Turner, Austin, "Palisades Fire arrest made; suspect allegedly set earlier blaze that later ignited Jan. 7 LA inferno, officials say," CBS Los Angeles, October 8, 2025.
¹⁹ Jayan, Arun, "Florida man arrested for allegedly starting Palisades fire that killed 12, caused $150B in damage," MEAWW, October 9, 2025.
²⁰ ABC7, "Jonathan Rinderknecht accused of starting blaze that turned into destructive Palisades Fire," October 8, 2025.
²¹ American Faith, "Florida Man Arrested for Palisades Fire," October 9, 2025.
