Man charged over deadly Palisades fire pleads not guilty in Los Angeles court | California wildfires

The Florida man accused of starting the Palisades fire pleaded not guilty Thursday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.

The Palisades fire earlier this year killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures, turning large swaths of West Los Angeles into a wasteland.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, faces three federal arson charges: arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, destruction of property by fire and setting fire to timber.

If convicted, Rinderknecht faces between five and 45 years in prison.

On January 1, Rinderknecht allegedly started the Lachman fire shortly after completing his midnight Uber shift. The fire was believed to be suppressed, but it continued to burn underground before being picked up by Santa Ana winds and becoming the devastating Palisades fire on January 7.

Rinderknecht made multiple calls to 911 and later mentioned location information about the fire, which had not been publicly released, during an interview, according to investigators. Investigators also cited geolocation data on Rinderknecht’s phone that allegedly placed him just 100 feet from the fire scene. Investigators said ChatGPT records even included questions about arson and AI-generated images of a burned city.

Rinderknecht’s attorney, Steven Haney, emphasized that his client has no criminal record or history of mental illness. He also questioned why firefighters were unable to fully suppress the original Lachman fire and Rinderknecht’s involvement in the Lachman fire.

“What about what happened between January 1st and January 7th?” Haney said: LAist. “Jonathan wasn’t there with a fire hose putting out the fire in the Lachman area. The fire department was. So why are they blaming him for what the fire department didn’t do?”

Rinderknecht is being held without bail. His trial will be held on December 16.