LOS ANGELES – A former Pacific Palisades resident now living in Florida has been arrested on a federal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what eventually became the Palisades Fire of January 2025, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, a.k.a. “Jonathan Rinder,” and “Jon Rinder,” of Melbourne, Florida, is charged with destruction of property by means of fire.
He was arrested Tuesday and is expected to make his initial appearance today in United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
“The complaint alleges that a single person’s recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, law enforcement determined that the Palisades Fire was a “holdover” fire – a continuation of the Lachman Fire that began early in the morning on New Year’s Day 2025. Heavy winds caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what became known as the Palisades Fire, which caused widespread damage in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Law enforcement determined – using witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene, among other things – that Rinderknecht maliciously set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on January 1 on land owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), an organization that received federal funding.
Rinderknecht is currently in custody pending a court appearance.
Related Federal Cases
- Jonathan Rinderknecht, Arson, California 2025 · Alabama
- Chance Brannon, Using an Explosive Device to Damage Real Property Affecting Interstate Commerce, California 2023 · California
- Robert Paul Rundo, Conspiracy to Violate Anti-Riot Act, California 2023 · California
- Chance Brannon, Xavier Batten, Tibet Ergul, Molotov Cocktail Attack, California 2023 · Michigan
- Alexander Milinovic, Unsafe Operation of Unmanned Aircraft, California 2022 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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