Uber passenger calls accused Palisades Fire suspect ‘nut job’ who bashed Trump

A passenger traveling with the man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire on New Year’s Day in Southern California has spoken out about his disturbing encounter. FOX 11 Los Angeles.

Authorities say 29-year-old Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht started a small fire after dropping off passengers while on vacation. The fire then reignited on January 7 due to strong winds and became the massive Palisades Fire.

Speaking to FOX 11, Brennan White stated that she and her fiancée were picked up by Rinderknecht last New Year’s Eve and described how the driver was seen as a “really angry guy.”

“He was a crazy person,” White told the outlet. “He kept talking about how he couldn’t find the girls and how terrible Trump was.”

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He added that Rinderknecht appeared to be yelling at himself rather than his passengers.

White told FOX 11 he forgot about the entire encounter until Los Angeles police detectives called him in February and asked him questions about the Uber driver, questioning his behavior and even asking what the driver was wearing. White told investigators he gave investigators the driver’s name, “Jon,” along with the trip receipt, which showed the timestamp and location, according to the station.

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Firefighters watch as a helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles on January 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

After giving his statement, White reportedly said he didn’t think much about it until he saw the photo of the man arrested in connection with the Pacific Palisades fire.

“We were probably on his previous trip,” White said, stating that they were dropped off in the San Fernando Valley just before midnight.

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Aerial view shows debris from burned properties following the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles on January 10, 2025. (REUTERS/Daniel Cole)

White, who works as a bartender in Malibu, said the connection was particularly troubling, FOX 11 reported.

“I know a lot of people who lost their homes in that fire,” he explained, saying he wished he had known Rinderknecht’s intentions so he could have done something to stop it.

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Uber said He said the company removed the driver’s access to the Uber platform when it learned it suspected the driver was involved and worked closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) throughout the investigation.

Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias contributed to this report.