Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht has been arrested in Florida. He faces multiple charges, including arson.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, who was arrested earlier this year in Los Angeles for “intentionally” starting a Palisades fire, was working as an Uber driver in the neighborhood when the fire broke out.
According to a federal criminal complaint, on January 1, 2025, Rinderknecht dropped off a passenger and then allegedly set a fire on a hiking trail in Pacific Palisades. The initial fire, known as the Latchman Fire, burned approximately eight acres and did not destroy any structures.
However, strong Santa Ana winds may have re-ignited ash from the area, ultimately fueling the larger and far more destructive Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and became one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history.
Passengers say he was “angry”
Two passengers traveling with Rinderknecht that day later told investigators that he seemed “anxious” and “angry” during his shift.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essil said that Rinderknecht fled the scene after the fire broke out, but later returned to see it burning.
“As soon as he saw fire trucks coming toward him, he left. He turned around and went back there,” Essil said. He filmed the scene and watched them extinguish the fire.