DISTURBING details have emerged about the moments before an Uber driver allegedly sparked the Palisades Fire that killed 12 in January.
Suspect Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, repeatedly watched a French rap video showing a blazing inferno before he allegedly ignited his own flame in a grassy area just before midnight on December 31.
AFPJonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday[/caption]
GettyFrench rapper Josman sings Un Zder, Un The, which Rinderknecht listened to before he allegedly lit a flame that became the Palisades Fire[/caption]
ReutersFirefighters battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on January 12[/caption]
Rinderknecht is accused of “maliciously” starting the most destructive inferno in Los Angeles history and then trying to cover his tracks, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday.
The deadly flame was ignited by harsh winds on January 7 after Rinderknecht allegedly set the fire on purpose and left it to smolder unnoticed for days, police said.
The French-born man was arrested near his home in Florida on Tuesday and charged with destruction of property by fire. If convicted, he faces a minimum of five years in federal prison.
When the feds announced Rinderknecht’s arrest, they shed light on some of the eerie evidence that led to the charges against him.
Minutes before he allegedly set the fire, Rinderknecht went on YouTube and listened to the French rap song Un Zder, Un The by Josman.
The song’s lyrics, translated to English, speak about smoking weed to combat “despair and bitterness.”
“I feel like I’m nowhere,” the rapper sings in French before saying in the next line, “I’ll isolate myself later.”
At another point in the song, Josman sings, “Imagine how much I’ve got in my head, I’m taking off, I’m moving up.”
The next line eerily continues, “Everything we burn is counted in grams.”
The lyrics are referring to drugs, but the song’s music video shows Josman lighting multiple objects on fire.
“Google records indicate that Rinderknecht had listened to the same song nine times in the previous four days,” the police affidavit said.
Rinderknecht watched the fiery music video four times.
Josman hasn’t commented publicly on Rinderknecht’s connection, but has been active online as he promotes his newest song.
Other digital evidence collected from Rinderknecht included a creepy image of a burning city that the alleged arsonist generated on ChatGPT, the feds said.
YouTube / JosmanMultiple fires are featured in the music video for Josman’s song Un Zder, Un Thé[/caption]
U.S. ATTORNEYRinderknecht generated an AI image of a fire ripping apart a city on ChatGPT[/caption]
He prompted the artificial intelligence to make “A dystopian painting divided into distinct parts that blend together seamlessly. On the far left, there is a burning forest. Next to it, a crowd of people is running away from the fire, leading to the middle,” the complaint said.
Rinderknecht called 911 to report the fire early in the morning on New Year’s Day after finishing working late as an Uber driver.
Two of his passengers that night told investigators the suspect had seemed “agitated and angry” during his shift.
Timeline of Jonathan Rinderknecht’s arrest
Prosecutors set out the following timeline that led to the arrest of accused arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht.
December 31, 2024: Rinderknecht, who works as an Uber driver, drops off two passengers between 10:15 and 11:15, one of them in Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
January 1, 2025:
12:12 am – Environmental sensing platforms indicate a fire in the Palisades area that is later called the Lachman Fire. Rinderknecht tries to call 911 several times but can’t connect, prosecutors say. He finally reaches dispatch from the bottom of the hiking trail.
After 1 am – Rinderknecht records video of the scene. The Lachman Fire is supposedly put out.
January 7, 2025: A Santa Ana windstorm re-ignites the Lachman Fire and sparks the Palisades Fire, which goes on to kill 12 people and burn through 23,400 acres.
January 31, 2025: The Palisades Fire is contained.
October 7, 2025: Rinderknecht is arrested in Florida.
October 8, 2025: Charges against Rinderknecht are announced. He appears in court for the first time.
After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderknecht drove to a trail in the area, where he hiked and took videos from the view while listening to Un Zder, Un The.
Then he hiked down the trail and called the cops to the area.
He is accused of lying to the cops about where he was when he first saw the fire, according to Bill Essayli, the acting US Attorney for the Central District of California.
“While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy,” Essayli said.
GettyActing U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli speaking at a press conference announcing Rinderknecht’s arrest on Wednesday[/caption]
GettyThe Palisades Fire killed 12 and destroyed thousands of homes[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
