The person accused of deliberately igniting the devastating Palisades fireplace, which killed a dozen folks, has been indicted on three felony expenses and faces the prospect of as much as 45 years in jail, authorities mentioned.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with destruction of property by way of fireplace for allegedly beginning a blaze in Temescal Canyon on New 12 months’s Day that went on to develop into essentially the most damaging wildfire in Los Angeles historical past.
On Wednesday, Rinderknecht was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with two extra felonies — one rely of arson affecting property utilized in interstate commerce and one rely of timber set afire, in line with the U.S. Division of Justice.
The Palisades fireplace scorched 23,400 acres — an space roughly 1.5 occasions the dimensions of Manhattan — and leveled greater than 6,800 buildings.
Rinderknecht is the son of Baptist missionaries and a former resident of Pacific Palisades who was dwelling in Florida on the time of his arrest. He’s scheduled to be arraigned within the coming weeks.
If convicted as charged, he faces a federal jail sentence starting from a compulsory minimal of 5 years to a statutory most of 45 years, prosecutors mentioned.
Regulation enforcement decided that the Palisades fireplace was a continuation of a small blaze known as the Lachman fireplace, which was suppressed by firefighters on Jan. 1 however continued to smolder throughout the root construction of dense vegetation earlier than reigniting amid fierce Santa Ana winds on Jan. 7.
Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht maliciously began the Lachman fireplace close to Cranium Rock simply after midnight on New 12 months’s Day after working a shift as an Uber driver. Regulation enforcement used witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone information, and evaluation of fireplace dynamics and patterns to find out that Rinderknecht was accountable for the ignition, prosecutors mentioned.
Investigators discovered an AI-generated picture of a burning metropolis with folks attempting to flee on Rinderknecht’s iPhone, in line with Invoice Essayli, performing U.S. lawyer for the Central District of California.
Two Uber passengers whom Rinderknecht drove on separate journeys between 10:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. on New 12 months’s Eve instructed regulation enforcement that he appeared indignant and agitated.
After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, he parked close to Cranium Rock Trailhead and walked up the path whereas listening to a brooding French rap tune whose music video reveals trash on fireplace, prosecutors allege.
Rinderknecht’s dad and mom stay in France, the place his father is a citizen, in line with Shawn Hurley, a pastor with Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Lima, Ohio, who has recognized the household for 30 years.
Rinderknecht has additionally hung out in France, however was dwelling in a Hollywood residence on the time he allegedly began the Lachman fireplace. Environmental sensors first detected that blaze at 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 1.
Throughout the subsequent 5 minutes, Rinderknecht tried dialing 911 a number of occasions however couldn’t get by means of till he arrived on the backside of the path and regained cellphone service, prosecutors mentioned. By that point, a close-by resident had already contacted authorities.
Rinderknecht instructed regulation enforcement that he first noticed the fireplace from the underside of the path; nevertheless, information from his iPhone confirmed that he was standing 30 ft from the fireplace because it quickly grew, prosecutors allege.
The Los Angeles Hearth Division, which been criticized for failing to pre-deploy satisfactory sources through the fire-weather circumstances when the Palisades fireplace ignited, is now going through scrutiny over whether or not it might have accomplished extra to forestall the rekindling of the Lachman fireplace.
Occasions employees author Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
