An Uber driver accused of starting the blaze that eventually became the Palisades Fire is prepping for an “epic war” to defend himself, his attorney told the Post.
“There’s not going to be any possibility of a plea bargain. It’s going to be all or nothing,” Jonathan Rinderknect’s attorney, Steve Haney, defiantly told the Post, adding, “It’s going to be a street fight.”
“This will be an epic war.”
Prosecutors allege Rinderknect, 29, started the Lachman Fire on Jan. 1 last year in the hills above the tiny coastal community that was once home to scores of A-listers, including Billy Crystal — whose long-time property was razed — and Tom Hanks.
Firefighters tackled the first blaze, but underground embers persisted and eventually blew up to become the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7, decimating the area.
Rinderknecht was arrested on Oct. 7 and a federal grand jury indicted him with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire.
He has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to 45 years behind bars if convicted.
According to court documents, law enforcement determined that the Palisades Fire was a “holdover” fire from the Lachman blaze which had continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of dense vegetation which were subsequently fanned by hurricane force winds.
Detectives – using witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene – determined that Rinderknecht “maliciously” set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1, according to a statement by the Department of Justice.
Authorities allege that on the evening of Dec. 31, 2024, Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver. Two passengers driven on separate trips at the time later told law enforcement Rinderknecht appeared “agitated and angry.”
After dropping off one passenger in Palisades, the accused – who used to live in the same neighborhood – drove towards Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car and walked up the trail, taking video of the area.
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“At 12:12 a.m. on January 1, 2025, environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman Fire had begun,” per the DOJ statement.
“During the next five minutes, Rinderknecht called 911 several times, but didn’t get through because his iPhone was out of cellphone range.
“When he finally connected with 911, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire. By that point, a nearby resident already had reported the fire to authorities.
“Rinderknecht then fled in his car, passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction. He then turned around and followed the fire engines to the scene, driving at a high rate of speed.
“Rinderknecht walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters. At approximately 1:02 a.m., he used his iPhone to take more videos of the scene.
“During an interview with law enforcement on January 24, 2025, Rinderknecht lied about where he was when he first saw the Lachman Fire.
“He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew.”
But attorney Haney added: “It’s just absolutely mind-boggling to me that they’re going to continue to go forward with this case and try to persuade a jury that he’s guilty of even the Lockman fire.
“They don’t have any evidence that he started that fire, not to mention the rekindling of the Palisades fire that was obviously due to the departmental failures from multiple agencies.
“To get him found guilty on that theory is going to be a big challenge.”
Haney told the Post that he has identified 31 witnesses — including several firefighters and battalion chiefs — who heard fireworks at the origin area of the Lockman fire shortly after New Year’s Eve, the same time the fire started.
“One witness actually saw and heard the fire start,” explained Haney.
“He saw a flash of light. He heard a big bang. He looked up on the hill right at exactly the time that the fire started.
“He was the first one to report the January 1st fire. And another witness was awakened by a loud bang. He looked out his window and he saw fire.”
Rinderknect is currently languishing in the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA prior to an April 21 jury trial.
The notorious facility “houses some of those violent criminals in the world,” said Haney, who regularly visits his client behind bars.
“He’s obviously a guy who’s never been in jail before, never had a criminal conviction in his lifetime.
“He’s eager to get his day in court as quickly as we can to prove his innocence.
“We’re here for him and we’re fighting for him. The worst thing in the world with somebody who’s in a situation like that is for them to believe that they’re forgotten.”
Rinderknecht has “a great deal of frustration. He’s been denied bond. He’s sitting in a potentially very dangerous environment in the MDC.
“He’s not in a country club right now. He’s not in the county jail. He’s in a federal facility. He’s obviously very frustrated and upset.”
“He’s always cooperated with the authorities. He gave them hours and hours of interviews. He was absolutely befuddled that they believed on any level that he was associated with an arson on January 1st.”
Haney is prepping to file a motion to suppress evidence derived out of the search warrants because, he told the Post, “there’s absolutely zero probable cause contained in the affidavit that gave them the right to search and seize evidence in this case.”
