Man accused of setting what became the Palisades fire makes 1st courtroom appearance

Jonathan Rinderknecht, accused of setting a blaze that became the destructive Palisades fire, wanted to talk to the U.S. District Court judge in downtown Los Angeles about being locked up.

After arguments, U.S. Magistrate Judge Rozella A. Oliver had decided he would not be given the chance for bail.

“Can I actually say something about the detainment?” the 29-year-old said Thursday afternoon, Oct. 23, before his attorney, Steve Haney, cut him off and asked Judge Oliver for a break to speak to Rinderknecht in private.

Ten minutes later, Rinderknecht returned, extended his left hand to a hand sanitizer bottle and wiped his hands behind his back.

Both he and Haney then responded, “Not guilty” to federal charges of destruction of property by means of fire, arson of buildings used in interstate commerce, and setting timber afire.

As Rinderknecht, in a white jumpsuit, was led out of the courtroom, he appeared to softly shake his head.

His next court appearance was scheduled for Nov. 12 and a tentative trial date was set for Dec. 16.

If convicted as charged, he faces five to 45 years in prison.

Outside court, Haney said of Rinderknecht’s outburst, “He’s frustrated. A lot of frustration. …

“He’s a young man, he’s not really clear why he’s in jail, and there’s a lot of frustration and anxiety right now,” the lawyer said.

Rinderknecht was arrested in Melbourne, Florida on Oct. 7, with prosecutors announcing some of the evidence against him two days later. He has been in custody since.

In an Orlando, Florida, courtroom, prosecutors described Rinderknecht as a loner who was falling out with friends in California and had broken up with his girlfriend before he was accused of starting the Lachman fire in the Pacific Palisades shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day.

Los Angeles city firefighters thought they put out the fire hours later, but picked up their hoses the following day not knowing the fire continued to smolder underground, prosecutors said.

“Why are they blaming him for what the Fire Department didn’t do?” Haney asked on Thursday in reference to the time between the two fires.

When asked whether Rinderknecht told Haney that he didn’t start the Lachman fire, Haney said he could not share privileged attorney-client discussions.

On Jan. 7, fierce winds kicked up the original blaze, which became the Palisades fire. The blaze killed 12 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 7,000 structures before it was fully contained on Jan. 31.

Shortly before the first fire, prosecutors said, Rinderknecht was working for Uber and had dropped off his last customer about 11:35 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2024. He drove to the Skull Rock trailhead and attempted to call his ex-girlfriend, but she did not pick up.

He then walked up the trail to the Hidden Buddha clearing, where he took videos of the view and listened to a French rap song before, prosecutors allege, he started the fire with “an open flame” – likely a lighter.

Rinderknecht then allegedly tried calling 911 multiple times from the clearing to report the fire, but could not get a signal. He reached a dispatcher after walking back down the trail to his car and drove off, but returned to watch the firefighters battle the fire, prosecutors said.

A pair of Uber customers would tell federal authorities that Rinderknecht appeared “agitated and angry” that night and a former roommate of Rinderknecht’s told investigators that they had spent a lot of time at the Hidden Buddha clearing. Rinderknecht, who is from Florida, lived in Pacific Palisades and Hollywood before moving back to Florida months after the Palisades fire.

Prosecutors said that his cellphone GPS coordinates placed him in the clearing, about 30 feet from the fire, when he first tried to call 911.

Haney, Rinderknecht’s attorney, has said his client is merely a scapegoat and the fact that federal authorities are trying to “hold him criminally liable for the failure of others is preposterous.”