The Palisades Fires Arson Suspect Created AI-Generated Images of People Fleeing From a Burning Forest

The fires that tore through the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles in January 2025 were the worst fires in the city's history. They were started on January 7 and were active for 24 days. By the time the fires were contained, 12 people died and four were injured, including one firefighter. Almost 7,000 structures were destroyed, while nearly 1,000 were damaged. The city lost a little over 23,000 acres of land.

Many people have made the difficult decision to not rebuild their homes. This was not something they came to easily, and it depended on "family dynamics, financial concerns, insurance issues, and logistical matters," reports The New York Times. Despite what some outsiders think of Los Angeles, not everyone there is a rich celebrity.

Nine months after the fires started, a suspect was arrested. Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, has been taken into custody. Does he have a motive? Here's what we know.

Rinderknecht has not revealed a motive, but we do have insight into his frame of mind in the days leading up to the day the fires were initially started. The 29-year-old Florida native was living in Los Angeles and was driving for Uber at the time, per the criminal complaint filed by the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

On Dec. 31, 2024, two passengers who rode with Rinderknecht on two separate trips later told authorities that the 29-year-old appeared agitated and angry. After he dropped one passenger off in the Palisades, where Rinderknecht once lived, he drove towards Skull Rock Trailhead and tried calling a friend. They didn't answer. Cell phone records show that Rinderknecht walked up a nearby hilltop where he listened to a rap song. A video for the song shows images of things being set on fire.

Rinderknecht was on the hilltop when the Lachman Fire began a little after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025. He attempted to call 911 several times for the next five minutes, but his iPhone was out of range. He was at the bottom of the hiking trail when he was finally able to get through to 911. By that time, a nearby resident had already reported the fires. Apparently, Rinderknecht continued listening to the same rap song over the course of the next three days.

In a press conference, Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, "While the Lachman Fire burned, the defendant walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and firefighters," per ABC 7. "Although firefighters suppressed the blaze, the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of the dense vegetation." The underground smoldering was still happening when heavy winds caused the underground fires to surface a week later, causing the Palisades fires.

When Rinderknecht was interviewed by investigators on Jan. 24, he told them where the fires began. This information had not been made available to the public. He also lied about his location and was clearly anxious during the interview. Investigators determined the Lachman Fire had been started by a lighter. A "barbecue-style" lighter was found in Rinderknecht's glove compartment the day of his interview. It matched a photo of a lighter found on his cell phone.

Authorities also found ChatGPT images Rinderknecht created showing crowds running from a burning forest. Investigators believe Rinderknecht's efforts to call 911 were an effort to "preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire." He has been charged with destruction of property by means of fire. If convicted, Rinderknecht faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.