Uber Driver Charged With Intentionally Setting Pacific Palisades Fire In LA
Federal authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, a Florida resident and Uber driver, for allegedly intentionally setting the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 buildings in January.
Rinderknecht was charged with destruction of property by means of fire after investigators traced the larger fire back to a smaller fire he allegedly set on New Year’s Day — known as the Lachman Fire — that was contained by local firefighters before winds reignited it days later.
Officials say they used his cellphone data to pinpoint his location and he lied to investigators during questioning. He is a former resident of the Pacific Palisades, and moved to Florida after the fire.
Investigators say Rinderknecht screen-recorded his attempts at calling 911 after he allegedly set the fire, then asked ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?” He had also used ChatGPT last July to generate a “dystopian painting” depicting a forest burning on one side, people fleeing, and the rich watching from afar.
If convicted, he faces five to 20 years in federal prison.