Prosecutors say arson suspect in Los Angeles’ Palisades Fire was angry ‘at the world’
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Man accused of sparking The deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles was upset that he had no plans for New Year’s Eve and was angry at the world before the first fire broke out, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.
Jonathan RinderknechtI am 29 years old He did not admit his guilt to start what becomes one most destructive forest fires In California history. The incident began in the hillside neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Malibu on January 7, 2025, and left 12 dead. Prosecutors say Rinderknecht started a fire on Jan. 1 that burned unnoticed in the root systems and reignited a week later.
Rinderknecht’s trial will begin on June 8. His lawyers say he was used in some way a scapegoat due to the failure of the Los Angeles Fire Department to completely extinguish the earlier fire.
An outline of prosecutors’ strategy — including details about the defendant’s alleged state of mind the night before the first fire started — is included in a pretrial memo filed April 29 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said witnesses reported Rinderknecht driving erratically on Uber routes around the Palisades on New Year’s Eve. His passengers described him as “angry, irritable, driving erratically and yelling about being ‘mad at the world,'” the memo said.
Rinderknecht filed charges against passengers against UnitedHealthcare CEO attacker, court records show Luigi Mangionecapitalism and wokeness. In a Jan. 24 interview with investigators, when asked why someone might have committed arson in the Palisades, Rinderknecht “said it would be out of resentment of rich people enjoying their money, he replied, ‘we’re basically enslaved by them,'” once again referring to Mangione’s alleged crime, according to the documents.
Additionally, prosecutors said Rinderknecht was distraught over a failed relationship and upset about disrupted plans for New Year’s Eve.
“My client has maintained his innocence throughout, and we look forward to clearing his name at trial,” Rinderknecht’s attorney, Steve Haney, said in an email Sunday. “The reason given for my client starting a fire on NY’s Eve because he did not have an appointment is obvious.”
Haney held a press conference in March to call for Rinderknecht’s release from prison in light of evidence he said showed he was not responsible for the fire. Haney pointed out. accumulation There, a firefighter testified that he noticed the ground was still smoldering from the Jan. 2 fire and warned his supervisor that there were hot spots. This testimony was collected as part of a lawsuit filed by fire victims against the city.
A battalion chief testified that he walked around the burn area four times throughout the day, ensuring all hot spots were eliminated.
Fire Chief Jaime Moore, appointed in October, said she was concerned about the differences in firefighters’ accounts and commissioned an independent report into how the Jan. 1 blaze was handled.
Haney said the defense did not have that evidence at the time Rinderknecht was charged.
