The suspect charged with igniting a fire that eventually led to the deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles could now face up to 45 years in prison after a federal grand jury indicted him and added two more felonies to his criminal case Wednesday.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is charged in the three-count indictment with one count of destruction of property by means of fire.

He is also now charged with one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire.

Rinderknecht was facing 20 years behind bars before Wednesday’s indictment if convicted. Now that two additional felonies were added, they more than doubled his potential time in prison to 45 years. He would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison.

His next court appearance will be his arraignment, which is expected to happen in the coming weeks.

Rinderknecht, a former resident of Pacific Palisades, was taken into custody on Oct. 7 near his Florida home for destruction of property by means of fire, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

Authorities say Rinderknecht was familiar with the Palisades and had been staying at a home on Via La Costa in the Palisades Highlands that burned in the Jan. 7, 2025, fire.

Timeline of Rinderknecht’s alleged actions leading up to fire

Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire in the early morning hours of Jan. 1 after working as an Uber driver the night before, according to the federal criminal complaint.

Essayli said two of his passengers told law enforcement that he appeared agitated and angry that night. After he dropped off a passenger in the Pacific Palisades, Essayli said Rinderknecht parked his car and tried but failed to contact a former friend.

Then, Rinderknecht exited his car, walked up a trail, took iPhone videos from a nearby hilltop and listened to a “rap song, whose music video included objects being lit on fire.”

Essayli said Rinderknecht listened to the song and watched the music video repeatedly in the days leading up to the Lachman Fire.

After the Lachman Fire ignited, Rinderknecht called 911 to report the blaze but did not get service. Cellphone records show Rinderknecht was the only person in the area where the fire started.

He fled the scene in his car but turned around when he saw fire engines approach, Essayli said.

“While the Lachman Fire burned, the defendant walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and firefighters,” Essayli said, adding that Rinderknecht recorded videos of the scene using his iPhone.

“Although firefighters suppressed the blaze, the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of the dense vegetation,” Essayli said during a press conference Wednesday morning. “It smoldered underground for about a week until on January 7, heavy winds caused this underground fire to surface and spread above ground, causing what became known as the Palisades Fire – one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles City history.”

In the complaint, the ATF calls the Palisades Fire a “holdover fire.” The complain shows images of the burn scar and where both fires started.

During an interview Jan. 24, Rinderknecht told investigators where the fire began, information not yet public and that he would not have known if he hadn’t witnessed it, the complaint said.

He lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, Essayli said.

The suspect was visibly anxious during that interview, according to the complaint. His efforts to call 911 and his question to ChatGPT about a cigarette lighting a fire indicated he “wanted to preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire and he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire,” the complaint said.

Investigators determined the Jan. 1 fire was intentionally lit, likely by a lighter taken to vegetation or paper, according to the criminal complaint. They excluded other possibilities, including fireworks, lightning and power lines. Authorities also looked into whether a cigarette may have caused the fire, but concluded that was not the cause, the complaint says.

Investigators found a “barbecue-style” lighter inside the glove compartment of Rinderknecht’s car on Jan. 24. It appeared to be the same lighter as one that was in his apartment on Dec. 31, based on a photo on his phone. He admitted to bringing a lighter with him when he walked up the hill.

Federal prosecutors also allege that the suspect’s ChatGPT log shows he created an image depicting a burning forest and crowds fleeing it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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