Anti-Trump posts by Palisades Fire suspect Rinderknecht revealed
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The man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire on New Year’s Day in Southern California has frequently made anti-Trump posts on social media and shared how global warming is causing climate change.
The story titled “Climate Change Will Force a New American Immigration” shared by 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht from ProPublica depicted a burning hillside in California.
She also shared another article titled “Senator Kamala Harris Says Meat Is Destroying the Planet” and also posted a link to contribute to former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election campaign.
Rinderknecht’s other posts include images of Trump supporters crying after losing the 2020 election, as well as a post claiming that President Donald Trump inherited a great economy from former President Barack Obama but “destroyed” it during Covid-19.
WHO IS PALISADES FIRE SUSPECT JONATHAN RINDERKNECHT, ACCUSED OF CREATING A FATAL FIRE?
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged Wednesday with starting the fire that became the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. (USAttyEssayli/X)
Rinderknecht has frequently posted about climate change, and in 2020 he shared another story titled “The Great Climate Migration has begun.” In another, she shared a story titled “Summers can be ‘too hot for humans.'”
While Rinderknecht hasn’t posted many photos, a 2014 photo shows him wearing face paint with an open-mouthed skull as well as fake blood dripping down his neck.
Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli said Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida on Tuesday and charged with destruction of property by fire. After prosecutors said Rinderknecht had the makings of an arsonist, a federal judge ordered him to remain behind bars Thursday.
“The complaint alleges that a single person’s carelessness led to one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen, resulting in death and widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades,” Essayli wrote. he said. “While we cannot bring back what the victims lost, we hope that this criminal case will bring some justice to those affected by this terrible tragedy.”
CALIFORNICIANS CONFRONT MAN ACCUSED OF STARTING LA FIRE UNTIL POLICE ARRESTED
Firefighters watch as a helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Rinderknecht worked as an Uber driver in Los Angeles from New Year’s Eve 2024 to New Year’s Day 2025, federal authorities said, adding that two of his passengers testified he “appeared agitated and angry after dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades that night.”
Rinderknecht called 911 after allegedly starting the fire after parking at the Skull Rock Trailhead, then asked ChatGPT: “Are you to blame if the fire is lifted? [sic] Is it because of your cigarettes?”
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Flames from the Palisades Fire burned a building on Sunset Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, amid a powerful storm on January 8, 2025. (Apu Gomes)
ChatGPT responded “Yes” and explained, according to the complaint.
While prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht triggered the Lachman Fire, which was extinguished on January 2, high winds reignited underground embers, igniting the Palisades Fire. In total, the Palisades Fire claimed the lives of 12 people and displaced many others.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
