BREAKING: DOJ announces arrest of suspect believed responsible for deadly Palisades fire

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Authorities announced in a press conference Wednesday that an Uber driver from Florida, who was working in the Los Angeles area, has been arrested for allegedly starting the deadly Palisades fire. The man allegedly dropped off his passenger, then intentionally started a fire on January 1, which smoldered for a week, until, fueled by the winds, it took off and roared into a deadly inferno.

From the Los Angeles Times: The most destructive inferno in Los Angeles history, which charred a devastating path through Pacific Palisades and Malibu in early January, was a rekindling of a fire that erupted days earlier near a popular hiking area, federal investigators said.

Authorities on Wednesday also announced the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is suspected of setting the initial fire on New Year’s Eve. Rinderknecht, of Florida, was charged with maliciously starting what eventually became the Palisades fire. Among the evidence that was collected from his digital devices was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city, said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

“While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy,” Essayli said.

The finding affirms a long suspected theory and comes after a nine month probe into the cause of the Palisades fire, which charred 23,400 acres and leveled more than 6,800 structures, including many homes in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Twelve people died in the fire.

Ahead of the press briefing, Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced on X:

Today we are announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.

The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht’s started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year’s Day — a blaze that eventually turned into one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history, causing death and widespread destruction.

Among the evidence that was collected from his digital devices was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city.

While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy. Rinderknecht’s initial appearance is scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m. EDT in U.S. District Court in Orlando. Rinderknecht is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote, “Great work by @USAttyEssayli and our federal agents to make this crucial arrest. @TheJusticeDept will deliver justice for the Palisades Fire and keep Californians safe — even if California leadership won’t.”

Fox News correspondent Matt Finn reposted the AI-generated images investigators found on Rinderknecht’s devices, and explained:

Federal investigators say the man responsible for the catastrophic Palisades fire, Jonathan Rinderknecht, asked Chat GPT last July to create this “dystopian” image that shows a forest burning on the left and people running from it. In the middle, people in “poverty.” On the right, the rich watching the world burn.

Feds say Rinderknecht “maliciously” started a fire on January 1st that LAFD put out, but it smoldered in roots, re-kindled and started the Palisades fire that killed 12 people and burned 6,800+ buildings.

Essayli announced Rinderknecht was arrested at his Florida residence on Tuesday.

WATCH:

In 2020, Rinderknecht appears to have made a $1 donation to Joe Biden.

READ MORE from the Los Angeles Times.

WATCH the full press conference in the video below:

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