Man Accused of Starting Palisades Fire Admired Luigi Mangione, Prosecutors Say
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, is accused of intentionally starting the Palisades fire in the Santa Monica Mountains, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles in January 2025.
- Federal prosecutors describe Rinderknecht as a lonely and erratic individual who harbored anger toward the wealthy in the weeks leading up to the fire.
- In December 2024, Rinderknecht lived alone in North Hollywood and worked as an Uber driver while following the case of Luigi Mangione, who was charged with murdering a health insurance executive.
- Mangione became a controversial figure to some, seen as a folk hero for his alleged attack on the health insurance industry; he is scheduled for trial on a second-degree murder charge in September 2025.
