Authorities in Los Angeles say they’ve now pinpointed how the deadly Palisades Fire started earlier this year — and the case involves an Uber driver, rap music, and ChatGPT.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli made the announcement during a televised news conference on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Essayli told reporters a Melbourne, Florida man has been charged with destruction of property by means of fire in connection with the blaze.
Related: Homes Burned, Cars Abandoned, Movie Premieres Canceled as Fires Rage in LA
Joined by members of the ATF and LAPD, Essayli said Jonathan Rinderknecht, an Uber driver originally from Los Angeles, was arrested on Tuesday after a 9-month investigation.
Authorities used witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analyzed “fire dynamics” to identify Rinderknecht, aka Jonathan Rinder or Jon Rinder.
[Rinderknecht is shown in the image above]
Among those witnesses were two passengers who took separate trips in Rinderknecht’s car on New Year’s Eve, and told law enforcement the driver appeared “agitated and angry.”
After dropping off his passengers, investigators believe he drove toward the Skull Rock Trailhead in the Palisades, parked, and walked up to an area known as the Hidden Buddha clearing.
Authorities allege he set a fire shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day.
Prosecutors say Rinderknecht — who used to live in the area — called 911 to report a fire.
At 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 1, environmental sensing technology confirmed a fire was burning.
According to prosecutors, Rinderknecht recorded videos with his iPhone and listened on repeat to a French rap song titled “Un Zder, Un The,” which features imagery of setting fires.
Rinderknecht left the area where the flames were burning, but turned around and followed fire engines as they headed to the blaze, authorities said.
“Rinderknecht walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters,” prosecutors said in a press release.
Prosecutors believe he used his iPhone to take more videos of the scene.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but no one realized it was still burning underground.
“Although firefighters suppressed the blaze, the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of the dense vegetation,” Essayli said at the news conference. “It smoldered underground for about a week until on Jan. 7, heavy winds caused this underground fire to surface and spread above ground.
Investigators alleged Rinderknecht’s ChatGPT logs showed he created a series of images depicting a burning forest, a city on fire, and people fleeing the flames.
Rinderknecht, 29, made his first appearance earlier today in U.S. District Court in Orlando, prosecutors said.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He may also later face additional charges.
“While we cannot bring back what victims lost, we hope this criminal case brings some measure of justice to those affected by this horrific tragedy,” Essayli said.
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, fueled by dry conditions and hurricane-force winds. The blaze killed 12 people; burned 23,448 acres; forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, and destroyed about 6,800 structures — including homes and businesses.
The flames knocked out power and sent plumes of smoke across Los Angeles. Traffic clogged the narrow hillside roads as residents tried to flee, with some people abandoning their cars as the flames drew closer.
Several celebrities lost their homes in the Palisades Fire, including Jhene Aiko, Tyra Banks, Billy Crystal, Tina Knowles, Paris Hilton, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Bozoma Saint John.
A second, unrelated blaze — known as the Eaton Fire — broke out in the Altadena and Pasadena areas outside of Los Angeles that same day. The Eaton Fire claimed another 19 lives, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
