Man charged over deadly Palisades fire pleads not guilty in Los Angeles court | California wildfires

The Florida man accused of starting the Palisades fire pleaded not guilty Thursday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.

Earlier this year, the Palisades Fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures, turning swathes of West Los Angeles into a desert.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, faces three federal arson charges: one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, one count of destruction of property by fire and one count of arson of woods.

If convicted, Rinderknecht would serve between five and 45 years in prison.

On January 1, Rinderknecht allegedly started the Lachman fire shortly after finishing an Uber day at midnight. The fire was thought to have been contained, but it continued to smolder underground before being taken over by the Santa Ana winds and growing into the destructive Palisades Fire on January 7.

Rinderknecht made several calls to 911 and, according to investigators, later mentioned non-public information about the fire during an interview. Investigators also cited geolocation data from Rinderknecht’s phone that allegedly placed him just 30 feet from the scene of the fire. His ChatGPT logs even included questions about arson and AI-generated images of a city burned to the ground, investigators said.

Steven Haney, Rinderknecht’s attorney, emphasized that his client has no criminal record or history of mental illness. He also questioned why firefighters didn’t completely extinguish the initial Lachman fire and Rinderknecht’s involvement in the Lachman fire.

“Well, what about what happened between January 1st and 7th?” Haney said, according to LAist. “Jonathan wasn’t there with a fire hose to put out the fire at Lachman’s location. The firefighters were. So why are they blaming him for what the firefighters didn’t do?”

Rinderknecht is being held without bail. His trial is scheduled for December 16.