ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — New details emerged Thursday in the case of a Florida man accused of starting the deadly Pacific Palisades Fire in California earlier this year.
According to NBC affiliate WESH, a Florida judge has ruled that Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, will remain in federal marshal custody.
This came to light after the court heard testimony from the ATF special agent in charge that Linderknecht had two encounters with police in the last month. On September 19, he was charged with threatening to set fire to the home of his sister and brother-in-law, where he had lived since moving from California.
Her father, who was visiting from France, told police on September 25 that he feared Linderknecht had a gun. Rinderknecht claimed the gun was locked in a safe, but police said they found it inside a stuffed animal in the garage. He told police he might use it to shoot his brother-in-law in self-defense.
Two children lived in the home until the family relocated due to concerns about Rinderknecht’s mental health. His brother and two sisters attended the nearly 90-minute hearing.
Officials claim Rinderknecht sparked January’s massive fire, which later became one of the most destructive in Los Angeles area history. The fire killed more than a dozen people in the wealthy coastal community and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and other structures.
He was first questioned by law enforcement on Jan. 24, according to the criminal complaint. He said he was in the area on New Year’s Day and no one else was there at the time.
The Justice Department claimed Linderknecht initially fled the area and later returned to film the fire. Officials said he lied about his whereabouts.
One of the pieces of evidence found on Linderknecht’s device was “an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city,” the Justice Department said.
He was charged with arson causing property damage and was taken into custody at his Melbourne home earlier this week.
