The Florida man charged with starting the Palisades fire pleaded not guilty in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday.
Earlier this year, the Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures, turning swaths of western Los Angeles into a wasteland.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, faces three federal arson charges – one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, one count of destruction of property by means of fire, and one count of timber set afire.
If convicted, Rinderknecht would serve between five and 45 years in prison.
On 1 January, Rinderknecht allegedly started the Lachman fire shortly after completing a midnight Uber shift. The fire was believed to be suppressed but continued to smolder underground before being picked up by the Santa Ana winds and transforming into the destructive Palisades fire on 7 January.
Rinderknecht made several 911 calls, and, according to investigators, later mentioned non-public location information about the fire during an interview. Investigators also cited geolocation data from Rinderknecht’s phone that allegedly put him just 30 feet away from the site of the fire. His ChatGPT logs even included questions about arson and AI-generated images of a city burned to the ground, investigators said.
Steven Haney, Rinderknecht’s lawyer, emphasized that his client had no criminal record or history of mental illness. He also questioned why firefighters had not fully suppressed the original Lachman fire, and Rinderknecht’s involvement in the Lachman fire.
“Well, what about what happened between Jan 1 and Jan 7?” Haney said, per LAist. “Jonathan wasn’t out there with a fire hose putting that fire out at the Lachman location. The fire department was. So why are they blaming him for whatever the fire department didn’t do?”
Rinderknecht is being held without bond. His trial is scheduled for 16 December.
