The 29-year-old man accused of sparking one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles allegedly threatened to burn down his home in Florida last month during an argument with a relative and then showed his father a gun, according to federal prosecutors.
Jonathan Rinderknecht appeared in a Florida federal courtroom on Thursday, one day after federal agents arrested him at his home outside Orlando. He was taken into custody 10 months after the wind-driven Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people.
Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht “maliciously set” a brush fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 that eventually grew into the deadly inferno. He allegedly remained in the area after he set the fire, repeatedly called 911 and then offered to help firefighters, according to a federal affidavit.
Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver and living in Los Angeles when the blaze was set. Prosecutors have not revealed a possible motive and it’s unclear when he’ll be brought to Los Angeles. Authorities say they plan to present their case to a grand jury to consider additional charges. He is currently accused only of destruction of property by means of fire.
During a 90-minute hearing Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathan W. Hill agreed to hold Rinderknecht in custody after prosecutors said he was a flight risk due to having family ties in France.
In the hearing, authorities detailed Rinderknecht’s recent encounters with law enforcement.
Thomas Harrison, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told of a Sept. 19 disturbance call to West Melbourne police where a family member reported that Rinderknecht threatened to burn down the house he was living in with his sister and her husband.
Police visited the home again on Sept. 25 after Rinderknecht’s father told them he was concerned his son had a gun. Harrison testified in court Thursday that Rinderknecht claimed he would use the gun in self-defense against his brother-in-law. No arrests or charges came from either incident.
Rindernecht told officers the weapon was stored in a safe, but agents subsequently found a gun inside a stuffed animal in the garage. Harrison said the mounting concerns were enough for Rindernecht’s relatives to move two children out of the home.
Rindernecht’s lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Aziz Hathorne, told the court Rindernecht was not a risk to anyone and his family was supporting him. She added that officers never asked them if the threat to burn down the house was credible.
When authorities first announced Rinderknecht had been arrested, acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli presented a list of circumstantial evidence they said linked him to the fire. That included a search of his phone, which revealed an image he is accused of generating on ChatGPT depicting a burning city. Authorities said he also repeatedly called 911 after the fire started and typed a question into ChatGPT: “Are you at fault if a fire is [lit] because of your cigarettes.”
Rindernecht grew up the son of Baptist missionaries who traveled across the United States every few years. They primarily lived in France, according to family friends, and Rindernecht lived in the Palisades, Hollywood and in the San Fernando Valley while in Southern California.
At the end of the hearing, the judge ordered Rinderknecht to remain in custody. He is due back in court Oct. 17.
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