The man accused of sparking one of the most expensive disasters in American history made a court appearance on Thursday and denied the charges.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, of Melbourne, Florida, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom to face federal charges for destruction of property by means of fire, arson and setting timber on fire. He pleaded not guilty.
Rinderknecht was arrested earlier this month and identified as the prime suspect responsible for starting the Palisades Fire in January. The deadly blaze burned for several weeks, was responsible for at least 12 deaths, displaced tens of thousands of people, and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.
Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht, who lived in the L.A. area and was working as an Uber driver at the time, intentionally started a fire along a hiking trail in the Palisades area just after midnight on New Year’s Day.
Two passengers from separate Uber trips told investigators that he appeared agitated when they drove them to their destination. Rinderknecht allegedly drove to the Skull Rock Trailhead, attempted to contact a friend, and then walked up the trail where the original fire was started.
He then called 911 to report the fire and fled the area, passing emergency vehicles that were responding to the blaze.
That fire, the then-Lachman Fire, burned eight acres and was eventually snuffed out, but reignited days later in high winds and dry conditions and came to be known as the Palisades Fire, investigators said.
Officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Rinderknecht had shown a recent fascination with fire, including repeatedly listening to a French rap song with an accompanying music video that depicts fires being set, as well as using ChatGPT to generate images of a fire burning next to a metropolitan city.
Rinderknecht eventually moved to Florida but was arrested on Oct. 7 and was transported to Los Angeles County shortly after.
The Palisades Fire, along with the Eaton Fire which ignited shortly after in the San Gabriel Valley, caused widespread evacuations, mass destruction and unprecedented levels of devastation for the greater Los Angeles area. Estimated losses between the two fires ranges from $50 billion to $130 billion and beyond.
Rinderknecht remains in federal custody and is due to appear in court again on Nov. 12 before going to trial in mid-December. If convicted, he faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison