10/08/2025
‼️ Federal Complaint Links Jonathan Rinderknecht to Palisades Fire That Ravaged Los Angeles‼️
In the early hours of January 1, 2025, as most of Los Angeles rang in the New Year, the hills above Pacific Palisades lit up with a blaze that would eventually rage for weeks. What became known as the Palisades Fire was not just a tragic accident—it was, according to federal investigators, the deliberate act of one man: Jonathan Rinderknecht, also known as “Jon Rinder.”
A Night That Changed Everything
Just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, Rinderknecht, a 28-year-old Uber driver, was restless and agitated. Passengers he ferried that night later recalled his anger. By 11:30 p.m., his phone data showed him listening—again—to a French rap song with dark themes of despair and fire. He had watched its video repeatedly in the days leading up to the new year, a video that depicted flames and destruction.
At 11:34 p.m., after dropping off a rider near Palisades Drive, Rinderknecht drove alone toward the Skull Rock Trailhead, a place he knew well. He once lived just a block away and often hiked those hills. Surveillance cameras captured his car parking, and GPS data later tracked his climb up the trail toward a spot locals call the “Hidden Buddha” clearing.
By 11:47 p.m., he was filming the view from the clearing. There was no fire—yet.
The Spark
At 12:12 a.m., New Year’s fireworks still echoed across Los Angeles, but cameras trained on the hillsides caught something else: the first sudden glow of flames. Within seconds, a blaze—later called the Lachman Fire—was roaring just below the Hidden Buddha clearing.
Investigators would later rule out fireworks, power lines, lightning, and even discarded ci******es. The evidence pointed to something much simpler: an open flame, likely a lighter. And the only person in that area at that exact time, cell tower data confirmed, was Rinderknecht.
Curiously, almost as soon as the flames were visible, Rinderknecht tried calling 911. The first calls didn’t connect. When he finally got through minutes later, he also opened the ChatGPT app on his phone and typed: “Are you at fault if a fire is lit because of your ci******es?” He screen-recorded himself trying to reach 911—an act investigators later said looked like an attempt to create an alibi.
Instead of leaving the scene, he doubled back, following fire engines up the hill, filming firefighters as they worked. Witnesses remembered him claiming he’d first seen the fire from a “house party,” a story that investigators proved false.
From Lachman to Palisades
The Lachman Fire burned about 10 acres before being contained. Firefighters thought they had stamped it out. But underground, within the roots of dense vegetation, embers smoldered unseen.
On January 7, as winds ripped through the Santa Monica Mountains, those hidden embers reignited. The Palisades Fire was born—a continuation of the blaze Rinderknecht allegedly set a week earlier.
By the time it was finally contained on January 31, 2025, the Palisades Fire had scorched over 200 acres of federal land, destroyed historic buildings at the Camp 8 Historic District, and ravaged properties belonging to organizations like California State Parks and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority—both recipients of federal funding.
The Evidence Trail
Federal investigators pieced together a damning mosaic of evidence:
• Cell Data: GPS and timing-advance records showed Rinderknecht’s phone within feet of the fire’s ignition point. No other phones were detected.
• Video & Photos: His own iPhone contained videos from the Hidden Buddha clearing minutes before the fire began—and footage of him returning to watch firefighters.
• The Lighter: A green barbecue-style lighter, seen in a video from his apartment earlier that day, was later found in his glovebox with his DNA on it.
• Digital Footprints: Months before, he had written prompts about burning the Bible and creating dystopian images of forests on fire.
• Behavior: Witnesses described his agitation that night, and investigators noted his anxiety and inconsistent statements in interviews.
The Charge
On October 2, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint in federal court. Rinderknecht was charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 844(f)(1): arson involving federal property and property owned by organizations receiving federal financial assistance .
Special Agent William Schry of the ATF, a certified fire investigator, summed it up in his affidavit: the evidence showed Rinderknecht deliberately set the blaze that became the Palisades Fire.
Conclusion
What began as a spark on New Year’s Eve turned into one of the most destructive wildfires Los Angeles had faced in years. Investigators say it wasn’t nature, chance, or an accident that caused it—it was the calculated act of a man who seemed drawn to flames.
If convicted, Rinderknecht faces the weight of federal penalties for arson, a crime that left scars not just on the land but on the community that called the Palisades home.
