'Angry' Uber Driver Arrested for Setting Fire that Led to Deadly Palisades Wildfire

LOS ANGELES — He’s the son of Baptist missionaries who loved soccer as a child.

In the Hollywood neighborhood where he lived and worked as an Uber driver, one acquaintance described him as “a really nice guy.” Yet he was embroiled in an ugly legal conflict with a neighbor in his apartment complex that included accusations of abuse and drug use.

Now, federal prosecutors accuse Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, of intentionally sparking one of the most destructive fires in California history.

In a court filing, authorities accuse Rinderknecht of setting a fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 along a popular hiking trail in Pacific Palisades. They allege he repeatedly listened to a brooding French rap song and downloaded an AI-generated image depicting a burning city.

Rinderknecht could not be reached for comment, and authorities did not offer a motive for the alleged actions.

According to public records and posts on social media, the 29-year-old has roots in Florida, Hollywood, Pacific Palisades and the south of France, where his parents did missionary work.

As recently as this spring, records show, Rinderknecht lived and was registered to vote at a Hollywood apartment building, just north of Hollywood Boulevard, near the Roosevelt Hotel.

A few months ago, federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives visited the complex and appeared to search his unit. The agents carried guns, a neighbor said, adding, “They were going in and out” of the unit.

The neighbor, who declined to give her name, told a Times reporter Wednesday that she recognized Rinderknecht but had few dealings with him.

“He kept to himself,” she said.

Peter Chang, 39, has lived in the same Sycamore Avenue apartment building in Hollywood for about four years and instantly recognized Rinderknecht when a Times reporter showed him a photo released by federal prosecutors.

Chang recalled Rinderknecht as quiet and shy, and said he lived there for about two years. He was shocked by news of his arrest.

“He was actually a really nice guy,” said Chang, who added that he only spoke to Rinderknecht in the hallway or when the two men rode the elevator in the three-story complex, which has several dozen studio and one-bedroom units.

Chang described his former neighbor as soft-spoken and introverted, and said he remembered Rinderknecht because he had a distinct numerical entry door lock, whereas nearly every other unit had a keyed lock system.

While he was living in Hollywood, Rinderknecht was involved in a pair of civil lawsuits, which were unconnected to each other or to the fire investigation.

Court records show Rinderknecht was involved in a lawsuit after a car crash that occurred while he drove for DoorDash, the plaintiff confirmed to The Times.

Months later, he filed a countersuit alleging property damage and emotional distress, but the case was dismissed, according to court records.

In March, Rinderknecht sued a neighbor, but the case was dismissed after Rinderknecht failed to show up to court.

Rinderknecht lived in a small apartment on the third floor of the complex. His unit is now rented by another man, who declined to provide his name, but who said some mail occasionally shows up for Rinderknecht.

The apartment building sits between Franklin Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, near the foot of Runyon Canyon and Outpost Estates. The neighborhood is located far from the Palisades fire but was subject to mandatory evacuations during the Sunset fire, which broke out the day after the Palisades fire began.

On Wednesday morning, a parade of news photographers and videographers visited the apartment building, shooting images of its courtyard pool and entryway.

Two residents from the neighborhood said they remembered seeing Rinderknecht, but said they could recall nothing remarkable or memorable. They were shocked that the man was now accused of causing such a catastrophic event.

The manager of Rinderknecht’s old apartment complex, who identified himself only as Joey, said he had been called Wednesday morning by TMZ and ABC News.

“I’m not allowed to give any statement,” he said, adding, “That’s our company policy.”

After the Palisades fire, Rinderknecht moved from California to Florida, according to federal prosecutors.

Rinderknecht’s mother, Jennifer, is originally from Florida, according to Pastor Shawn Hurley with Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Lima, Ohio. His father, Joel, is a French citizen, and the couple live in France.

Hurley met the family during their travels across the country as missionaries, he said. They would visit every four years as one of their many stops. He said he first met the parents in 1995, before Rinderknecht was born, but watched him grow up to a teenager, which was about the last time he saw him.

He described Rinderknecht as an “average teenager” whose favorite soccer team was Olympique de Marseille.

It was not immediately clear when Rinderknecht moved to Southern California, but prosecutors said he at one point lived in the Palisades and was familiar with the area where the fire started.

On Wednesday morning, Rinderknecht briefly appeared in an Orlando federal courtroom where he was appointed a federal public defender. He was ordered to appear again for a preliminary hearing on Thursday morning and remains in custody, according to court records.

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