The Florida man charged with starting January’s Palisades Fire in Los Angeles had previous encounters with law enforcement before his arrest, according to newly released video and records.
Prosecutors allege Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, maliciously set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on January 1, which smoldered underground until it was rekindled by Santa Ana winds on January 7, becoming the larger and far more destructive Palisades Fire.
Prior to his arrest on the federal arson charges earlier this month, Rinderknecht had a notable run-in with police in Florida.
Palm Bay Police released footage from an August 2, 2025, traffic stop in Brevard County, FL, where Rinderknecht was pulled over for driving 71 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone as he was making food deliveries.
The video shows Rinderknecht trying to appeal to the officers by explaining how customers are awaiting deliveries. “All these people are harassing me for their orders,” he says.
He also complained about the money he earns through deliveries and driving for rideshare companies. “I just moved out here. It’s absolutely ridiculous the way they pay you,” he says. “I mean last week I worked 60 hours and made not even $900.”
Authorities say Rinderknecht was driving for Uber the evening he allegedly started the Lachman Fire.
During the traffic stop, an officer noticed several unmarked pill bottles inside the vehicle.
The officer told Rinderknecht that driving with unmarked prescription bottles is illegal and asked him to step out of the car, the video shows. The officer examined the pills, ultimately determining they were not illicit drugs and handed them back to Rinderknecht.
Rinderknecht received a $284 citation for speeding.
Two months later, federal authorities arrested him in Melbourne, Florida, for starting the Palisades Fire, which destroyed thousands of structures in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Brentwood, and killed 12 people.
If convicted on the federal charge of destruction of property by means of fire, Rinderknecht faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in federal prison.
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