Jonathan Rinderknecht was charged with the start of the Lachman/Palisades Fire.
The arrest of suspect, Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, in connection with the Palisades Fire was announced today. He was charged with starting the New Year Eve’s January 1 Lachman Lane Fire, which eventually was rekindled a week later and became the Palisades Fire.
In an October 2 criminal complaint detailing the start of the Lachman Fire, it notes that Rinderknecht had previously lived in a house one block away from the Temescal Ridge Trailhead click here.
On December 31 at around 11:38 p.m. he parked a car at the Skull Rock Trailhead and then walked up the trail to a small clearing referred to as “Hidden Buddah,” where people sometimes place small Buddha figurines.
The hiking trail in red, above the Highlands, goes to the location of the start of the Lachman Fire.
The first indication of the Lachman Fire was captured by cameras (ALERTCalifornia /UC San Diego click here.) at 12:12:01 a.m. Rinderknecht tried to call 911, but it did not go through.
Nineteen seconds later, he tried calling again, it did not go through. Three seconds later he called again. At 12:13.40 a.m. he tried unsuccessfully to call 911 again.
He then descended the hill and attempted unsuccessfully to call 911 several times. He finally connected at 12:17 a.m. when he was almost to the bottom of the trail. “During the call, Rinderknecht typed a question into the ChatGPT app on his iPhone, asking, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes.” (ChatGPT’s response was “Yes,” followed by an explanation.)
As Rinderknecht left the Highlands, he saw firefighters going up Palisades Drive. He turned around and followed the truck. He then walked back up the trail and took four short videos of the fire and firefighters.
His whereabouts were confirmed with GPS data.
According to the report “Fireworks were excluded because, (1) nobody (including Rinderknecht) saw fireworks in the vicinity of the Pacific Palisades prior to the start of the Lachman Fire; (2) none of the voluminous UCSD video footage captured evidence of fireworks in the area prior to the start of the Lachman Fire; and (3) no evidence of fireworks was found in the origin area.
The criminal complaint author, William M. Schry wrote, “I am aware of media reports suggesting that fireworks were the cause of the Lachman Fire. Based on my training and experience and this investigation, I believe that those reports were incorrect and the result of people hearing (but not seeing) fireworks in adjacent areas that night.”
Schry said the cause of the start of the fire was an open flame, most likely a “lighter.”
The Palisades Fire started in the burn scar of the Lachman Fire, which has been called a “holdover” fire, which is defined as a fire that remains dormant for a considerable time. Investigators determined that during the Lachman Fire “a firebrand became seated within the dense vegetation and continued to smolder and burn within the root structure of the vegetation.”
Rinderknecht was charged with destruction of property by means of fire. About 6,800 structures were burned and damaged. Twelve people died during that fire. Schry wrote: “The Palisades Fire was determined to be a holdover (i.e., continuation) of the Lachman Fire, meaning they were essentially the same fire that burned and/or smoldered continuously.”
At an afternoon new conference held in Pacific Palisades, Councilmember Traci Park said, “This arrest is one small step in accountability.”
One resident, who had lost her home, spoke at the press conference about the announcement of the arrest in connection with the Palisades Fire.
“I felt rage. This announcement was about the person charged with the arson, not to what happened afterwards.”
Park responded that other answers had to be forthcoming, such as why no one was monitoring the burn scar; why there was no firefighter deployment to the area of the burn, especially with warnings of unprecedented winds.
Residents ask why the Santa Ynez and Chautauqua reservoirs were empty and why fire hydrants failed.
Residents wanted to know why there were limited or no evacuation warnings. There was chaos during evacuation, which left many leaving their cars and running to safety.
There is no record of the resources sent to fight the fire, and many residents were left to try and save their homes. There were no reports of firetrucks in several neighborhoods and there were reports of firetrucks lined up at Will Rogers State Beach.
One resident told CTN today, that he was trying to save his home and that of his neighbors on January 7. There was water pressure. Firefighters routinely drove up Tramonto Drive in the Castellammare area several times during the night and told the resident to leave. He continued to point his hose on the fire and eventually saved his house and four other homes.
He asked firefighters “Could you grab a hose and help me fight the fires?” The resident was told that firefighters were ordered to “stand down,” meaning they were only supposed to “save lives” (evacuate people), they were not supposed to save property.
Palisades residents spoke to the media today during a press conference with Councilmember Traci Park about the arrest of a suspect in the fire.
That is shocking that firefighters told a resident that they were ordered to stand down less a life was involved. I agree that one arsonist who dropped a cigarette is not the real story. The real story is the firefighters and the water.
This is a welcome first step. Now we need another detailed expert investigation into all the other things that went wrong, including but not limited to: the failure to monitor the burn site, the failure to deploy an all-out assault when fire was spotted on January 7, the failure to maintain the reservoir, the failure to fix broken hydrants and broken fire trucks, the failure to utilize pool water, and a complete assessment of what fire trucks and fire fighters were where at all times on January 7, 8, and 9th. I would also like to see an expert investigation into why certain houses in the middle of burn fields did NOT burn and how either building materials or landscaping may have played a part in saving them.
Sue-
I listened to the section of audio you referenced from the meeting. You owe that gentleman an apology. We need more plain-spoken citizens like him, not fewer. Maybe if all the Democrat voters in our area could muster up some anger at those responsible for our situation and really hold them accountable for their negligence, we might not be where we are today. Our representatives lack compassion and respect for those they are supposed to represent. These are not bright people nor are they skilled at problem solving. There is no cure for stupid.
I am so very sad to realize once again that we are in the hands of inefficient leaders. I suppose the chief of the Fire Department is more guilty than the arsonist by not sending/ giving the firefighters the order to check the Lachman fire several times until all possible burning roots, dry leaves, etc. were extinguished. And then the lack of water, the empty reservoirs, the failed hydrants, etc., responsibility of the City. The arsonist is only one piece of the puzzle responsible for the nightmare of January 7, 8, 9 and beyond.
I hope this young man does not become the scapegoat and blamed for our community burning to the ground. So many things went wrong and many things that should have happened before the fires never did.
Several of us saw an LAFD engine driving up Lachman at 10:15am on January 7th. It was doing a routine check – no sirens and slow speed. I keep asking myself why did LAFD wait until 10:15am to send an engine up to check on the burn scar during what was projected to be an historic wind event? Had it gone up an hour earlier or even 30 minutes, I believe our community and all of our homes would still be standing.
What about my house and many other structures that burned down 24 hours after the fire started because ‘The Fire Chief ‘ could not pick up the phone and call Fire Departments all over California to do structure protection? Answer: She directed her department to ‘Stand Down’. Unconscionable.!
Well, citizens of CA, your governor has declared that the arrest of a suspect has brought “closure” to the fire. So there’s no more need to investigate the incompetence of the fire department, local and state governments and, most importantly, your governor.
“Maybe if all the Democrat voters in our area could muster up some anger at those responsible for our situation and really hold them accountable for their negligence, we might not be where we are today.”
I’m sorry David but that will never happen. The citizens of your area would need to admit that they’ve been played by the charlatans they voted for. They would also need to admit to their own social and political insularity (i.e. living in a bubble). You have all have decided to go down a particular path and now you are stuck on it.
A cigarette butt creating so much misery, death, heartbreak. And people still throw cigarette butts like the squirrels are going to eat them. ?
Read the after action report which has now been released. It calls out all the resources used, and the confusion in the first 30 minutes, the 2nd 30 minutes, and the 3rd 30 minutes. We were doomed from the onset.
Read the complaint filed. They do not believe a cigarette was the cause of the fire start but the query a CYA. They explain their reasoning.
Rinderknecht is responsible for the Lachman Fire on Jan 1.
LAFD and DWP are jointly responsible for the Palisades fire on Jan 7.
Punishment should be commensurate with the damage done.
Rinderknecht is responsible for the Lachman Fire on Jan 1.
LAFD and DWP are jointly responsible for the Palisades fire on Jan 7.
Punishment should be commensurate with the damage done.
Based on the DOJ press release of Oct. 8, 2025, that the Palisades Fire was whipped up from high winds igniting the smoldering root systems (coals) of the Lackman Fire, there needs to be a Q & A from the supervisor(s) of the firefighting crew that allegedly left the Lachman Fire smoldering. The Lackman Fire the Uber driver started was supposedly doused. The Fire Department is accused of being wrong in their determination. Why weren’t there murder charges? Can there be a class action suit against the City of L.A.?