A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a man accused of starting the deadly Palisades fire in Los Angeles earlier this year.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of opening fire in Lachman just after midnight local time on January 1. release After picking up an Uber passenger, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Rinderknecht drove to the Skull Rock Trailhead and listened to a rap song whose music video involved setting things on fire.
After allegedly setting the fire, Rinderknecht called 911 multiple times, but failed to reach authorities due to his iPhone being out of service range. After a resident reported the fire to authorities, Rinderknecht fled the scene before returning to take video.
The Lachman Fire later became the Palisades Fire on January 7, as heavy winds brought the underground fire to the surface and spread. according to California Department of Forestry and Fire ProtectionThe Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres between January 7–31. At least 12 people were killed and 6,837 structures were destroyed.
Rinderknecht, a former resident of Pacific Palisades, California, currently lives in Melbourne, Florida. He was arrested at his Florida home last week along with Bill Essaly, the acting US Attorney for the Central District of California. Saying A release said, “While we cannot restore what the victims have lost, we hope this criminal case will bring some measure of justice to those affected by this terrible tragedy.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District noted that law enforcement determined that Rinderknecht set the fire using witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, mobility analysis and patterns at the scene, among other methods. It was also noted that Rinderknecht lied about his location when he saw the Lachman Fire during an interview with law enforcement on January 24.
Rinderknecht is charged with destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and setting fire to timber.
The release announcing the indictment said that if convicted, Rinderknecht faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 45 years in federal prison. He is expected to appear for his arraignment in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
