Arson or stray fireworks? Jurors to weigh if Uber driver mad at elite set Palisades Fire
Key takeaways
- The Lachman Fire smoldered underground for a week before exploding into the deadly Palisades fire on Jan. 7, 2025.
- While prosecutors contend Rinderknecht started the fire by burning some vegetation, they were unable to present any evidence proving how the fire started or an eyewitnesses who saw the 30-year-old do it.
- Prosecutors dug deep into Rinderknecht’s ChatGPT logs, where he argued with the chat bot while asking it to produce artwork displaying fire and railing against the wealthy.
LAFD responding to the Lachman fire in the Pacific Palisades area that is threatening multiple homes on January 1, 2025, according to officials and witnesses at the scene. The current approximate location is the 16660 block of Vía La Costa. (Key News) By Brittny Mejia and James Queally June 23, 2026 5:12 PM PT 8 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
After hearing weeks of evidence about Jonathan Rinderknecht’s loathing of the kinds of wealthy elites who inhabit the Pacific Palisades, jurors on Tuesday began deliberating whether he should be convicted of setting a fire that grew to swallow the opulent enclave and became the worst blaze in Los Angeles history.
Prosecutors made their final pitch to the jury Tuesday afternoon, arguing that Rinderknecht, 30, intentionally set the Lachman fire last New Year’s Day in a bid for vengeance against millionaires he believed were “enslaving” common people like him.