Acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli announces that a Florida man has been arrested on charges that he intentionally ignited the Pacific Palisades Fire, as Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell stands behind him, during a press conference in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 8, 2025.
Daniel Cole | Reuters
Federal authorities announced Wednesday that they have arrested and charged a Florida man with maliciously starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is charged with destruction of property by means of fire, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.
Rinderknecht was arrested on Tuesday. The Melbourne resident is expected to appear in court later Wednesday.
The Palisades Fire in early January burned thousands of homes and killed multiple people as flames spread rapidly in heavy winds up to 100 miles per hour.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli
posts image in the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.
Source: @USAttyEssayli | X
Authorities said that witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene showed that Rinderknecht maliciously set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on January 1 on land owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, an organization that received federal funding.
A week later, the same fire – which by then had become known as the Palisades Fire – burned federal property.
“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,” Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.
“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.
