Authorities have arrested Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old man in Florida (because it’s always Florida), in connection with the January wildfire that burned over 23,000 acres across Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu, claimed 12 lives, and destroyed approximately 6,000 structures. 

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, investigators allege Rinderknecht “intentionally  and maliciously” started the fire. Prosecutors said Rinderknecht started a fire near a hiking trail in the mountains near Pacific Palisades a few minutes after midnight on January 1, after he completed a shift driving for Uber. Investigators say that the blaze, referred to as the Lachman Fire, continued to smolder underground and later reemerged on January 7 under high winds, turning into the massive Palisades Fire, which has been named one of the worst in Los Angeles history.

Reports claim that Rinderknecht parked near a trailhead, walked uphill, took iPhone videos (while listening to “Un Zder, Un The” by the French artist Josman, whose music videos featured fire imagery), and made several attempts to call 911. Video evidence, geolocation data, and digital devices played key roles in linking him to the scene. 

Rinderknecht screen-recorded his calls to 911, and he claimed he "wanted to preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire and he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire," according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. Reportedly, the suspect also used the ChatGPT AI platform to ask, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes.” He also allegedly returned to the scene to record the firefighters battling the fire.

To make matters even creepier, Rinderknecht allegedly used AI prompts to get burning imagery.  Investigators discovered an AI-generated image of a city in flames on one of the suspect's devices. This was the alleged prompt: “A dystopian painting divided into distinct parts that blend together seamlessly. On the far left, there is a burning forest. Next to it, a crowd of people is running away from the fire, leading to the middle. In the middle, hundreds of thousands of people in poverty are trying to get past a gigantic gate with a big dollar sign on it."

In a statement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “The arrest … marks an important step toward uncovering how the horrific Palisades Fire began and bringing closure to the thousands of Californians whose lives were upended.” Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida and is expected to be transferred to the Central District of California to face federal charges. He was charged with destruction of property by means of fire, a felony that carries at least a five-year mandatory minimum sentence.