Evil Palisades Arsonist Arrested

Finally, the suspect has been caught and hopefully will receive the harshest penalty allowed by law.

According to the press conference, he set the fire on New Year's Day and set it in such  a way that it would burn undetected.  

Imagine the cruelty and total disregard that goes in to such a crime, to deliberately destroy and devastate so many homes, businesses, and lives.

I don't care what sob story excuses this arsonist uses, and I don't want to hear about the female fans he acquires when he's in jail. He should just get locked up for good.

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CBS News 10/8/25

Palisades Fire arrest made; suspect allegedly set earlier blaze that later ignited Jan. 7 LA inferno, officials say

"A Florida man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the destructive Palisades Fire that killed a dozen people in Los Angeles earlier this year, officials said on Wednesday.

"The man, identified as 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, was arrested on suspicion of "maliciously" starting the blaze that later became the Palisades Fire, according to acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. A criminal complaint shows that he'll be charged with Destruction of Property by Means of Fire, but Essayli added that additional charges may be added.

"The felony charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison, which could last as long as 20 years if convicted.

"Officials claimed during a news conference Wednesday that Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 1. The Lachman Fire was initially limited to about eight acres and didn't destroy any structures, but investigations revealed that catastrophic Santa Ana winds may have rekindled embers that led to the Palisades Fire beginning near the same location.

"Although firefighters suppressed the [Lachman Fire], the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of the dense vegetation," Essayli said. "It smoldered underground for about a week until, on Jan. 7, heavy winds caused this underground fire to surface and spread above ground, causing what became known as the Palisades Fire."

"The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres of land in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu and the Santa Monica mountains. Twelve people were killed, according to Cal Fire, and more than 6,800 structures were destroyed.

"He is charged with starting the Palisades Fire. He started it on Jan. 1," Essayli said. 

"Essayli said the investigation into Rinderknecht included extensive "digital evidence," like a ChatGPT prompt of Artificial Intelligence-generated images showing a burning city.

"Officials did not state Rinderknecht's alleged motive on Wednesday."