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Palisades Fire suspect hit with new charges in grand jury indictment
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The 29-year-old man accused of starting what became the devastating Palisades Fire was hit with two new charges this week after being indicted by a federal grand jury, the Justice Department announced.
Jonathan Rinderknecht of Melbourne, Florida, who previously was charged with destruction of property by means of fire, is now facing one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and one count of timber set afire, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
“A federal grand jury today indicted a former resident of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles who is charged with starting in January 2025 what eventually became the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history, adding two felonies to his criminal case,” the Attorney’s Office said.
It cited court documents as saying that, “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.”
WHO IS JONATHAN RINDERKNECHT, PALISADES FIRE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF SPARKING DEADLY BLAZE?
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged with igniting the fire that eventually became the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong and DOJ)
“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,” the Attorney’s Office said. “A week later, the same fire — then known as the Palisades Fire — burned federal property.”
Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver on the evening of Dec. 31, 2024, and that two passengers he drove on separate trips late that night told law enforcement they remembered him appearing “agitated and angry.”
PASSENGER SAYS UBER DRIVER ACCUSED IN PALISADES FIRE WAS ‘NUT JOB’ WHO RANTED ABOUT TRUMP
A sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht inside federal court in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 9, 2025. Rinderknecht is facing charges for allegedly starting a New Year’s Day fire that killed 12 people in Pacific Palisades, California. (Neftali Melendez)
“After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderknecht — who once lived in that neighborhood — drove towards Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, attempted to contact a former friend, and walked up the trail. He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listened to a rap song — to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days — whose music video included things being lit on fire,” according to the Attorney’s Office.
“At 12:12 a.m. on January 1, 2025, environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman Fire had begun,” it also said. “During an interview with law enforcement on January 24, 2025, Rinderknecht lied about where he was when he first saw the Lachman Fire. He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew.”
An aerial view of beachside homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Rinderknecht was arrested on Oct. 7, 2025, and is expected to be arraigned at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
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The downed tree caused the San Francisco Fire Department to close Church Street between Cesar Chavez Street and 26th Street after the tree fell at about 1 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO – Traffic was closed to vehicles and pedestrians on a portion of Church Street in San Francisco’s Mission District on Saturday after a tree fell onto power lines.
What we know:
The downed tree caused the San Francisco Fire Department to close Church Street between Cesar Chavez Street and 26th Street after the tree fell at about 1 p.m.
Power for 27 customers was shut off by PG&E while repairs were being made.
The response:
Crews from the utility and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency responded to clear the tree.
Traffic was closed in both directions while the tree blocked the J Muni line.
The SFMTA said in an alert that the line was clear to resume normal service at about 3:15 p.m.
The Source: San Francisco Fire Department
Denver, CO
Pedestrian fatally hit by Frontier airplane departing Denver for Los Angeles, flight canceled after
SEATTLE — Seattle police are investigating a homicide after a man was found dead Saturday morning at a business in the city’s Lake City neighborhood, authorities said.
Officers responded to the 8500 block of Lake City Way Northeast after employees arriving to open the Growler Guys, a beer garden and restaurant, discovered a deceased man inside around 9 a.m. Saturday, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes said at the scene.
The man, who police confirmed to be an employee in his early 20s, appeared to have died from gunshot wounds, Barnes said.
Seattle Fire Department personnel pronounced him dead.
Dozens of friends and family members of the young victim spent hours on the scene Saturday, and many were visibly overcome with emotion.
Kelly Dole, owner of the Growler Guys, described the victim as a warm, light-hearted young man.
“He was the type of friend that everybody wanted to have,” Dole said. “His group of friends, which includes my son, are really going to miss him. They’re about as tight as a group of young men can be.”
The victim had been working at the business the night before; however, Seattle police have not confirmed when the shooting happened or what may have led up to it.
“When we have things like this, we have to reevaluate what we could’ve done better,” Chief Barnes said. “How can we make sure that we’re doing everything in our power to bring justice to this family, because quite frankly, they deserve it.”
Detectives are focusing their investigation on the business and were processing the scene for evidence Saturday. Officers, investigators, chaplains, and support services were present.
The restaurant’s owners are cooperating with police, Barnes said. Dole was emotional while speaking with KOMO News about how the tragic shooting has shaken his neighborhood business.
“He always had a smile; he was so buoyant, you could never get him down,” Dole talked about the victim. “The world lost someone important today.”
Authorities said residents can expect an increased police presence in the area as the investigation continues and in the coming days.
There is no suspect information at this time, and police did not make any arrests. The circumstances leading up to the killing are under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
The killing marks Seattle’s 12th homicide of the year, according to Barnes.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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