Federal investigators say a Florida man has been arrested in connection with one of the most destructive wildfires in California history, a blaze that began as a New Year’s spark that charred some 7,000 structures and killed 12 people.
According to federal prosecutors, 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht allegedly ignited a fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 along the Temescal Ridge Trail above Pacific Palisades. What began as a small brush fire on federal land soon roared into an inferno that would later reignite as the Palisades Fire, scorching more than 200 acres across the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
In a strange twist, authorities say that after the fire, Rinderknecht turned to ChatGPT, reportedly asking the artificial intelligence whether he might be responsible for the disaster.
A criminal complaint filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) details the sequence of events leading up to the fire and Rinderknecht’s arrest. Federal prosecutors have charged him with arson of property receiving federal financial assistance, a felony carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Below is a detailed timeline of the events, drawn from the federal complaint.
PALISADES FIRE SUSPECT HELD WITHOUT BOND
A sequence of events leading up to Rinderknecht’s arrest on Oct. 8, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Central District of California.
WHO IS JONATHAN RINDERKNECHT, PALISADES FIRE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF SPARKING DEADLY BLAZE?
ARREST MADE IN CONNECTION TO DEADLY PACIFIC PALISADES FIRE, SOURCES SAY
READ THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE
Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias contributed to this report.
