**Federal Grand Jury Indicts Man in Fatal Palisades Fire on Additional Charges**
*Oct. 16 (UPI)* — A federal grand jury has indicted Jonathan Rinderknecht, the 29-year-old man accused of causing the fatal Palisades Fire in January, on two additional felony charges.
Rinderknecht was initially arrested on Oct. 7 and charged with one count of destruction of property by means of fire. On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced in a statement that a grand jury had now indicted him on two additional counts: arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and setting timber on fire.
A former resident of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Rinderknecht has been in police custody since his arrest. He is accused of being responsible for the Palisades Fire, which is one of the worst wildfires in California history. The fire killed a dozen people and burned more than 23,000 acres.
According to court documents, Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver on the night of Dec. 31, 2024. After dropping off a passenger—who later told authorities that Rinderknecht appeared agitated and angry—he drove toward Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, tried to contact a friend, and then used his iPhone to take videos while listening to a rap song. The Justice Department noted that the music video depicted scenes of “things being lit on fire.”
About 12 minutes after midnight, sensors indicated that the Lachman Fire had begun. Federal prosecutors stated that Rinderknecht repeatedly called 911 but couldn’t get through because he was out of cellphone range. When he finally connected with dispatch to report the fire, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail, and a nearby resident had already reported the blaze.
Authorities say that Rinderknecht then fled the scene in his car but later turned back. He allegedly walked up the same trail and used his iPhone at 1:02 a.m. to record the scene. How he allegedly set the fire has not been explained.
While the Lachman Fire was quickly suppressed, federal prosecutors said it smoldered underground in root structures and dense vegetation. This fire erupted into the much larger Palisades Fire on Jan. 7 due to heavy winds.
The Palisades Fire was declared contained on Feb. 2 after killing 12 people and scorching 23,448 acres. More than 6,827 structures were destroyed, and an additional 1,017 were damaged.
Federal prosecutors also allege that Rinderknecht lied during a Jan. 24 interview with authorities, stating he was near the bottom of the hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911. However, geolocation data retrieved from his phone indicates he was standing just 30 feet from the fire, watching it grow.
If convicted, Rinderknecht faces a minimum sentence of five years behind bars and a maximum sentence of 45 years.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/10/16/Palisades-Fire-suspect-charged/5931760599057/
