A man charged in connection with the fire that preceded the deadly Palisades Fire in California allegedly expressed anger toward wealthy individuals and became fixated on Luigi Mangione in the weeks leading up to the incident, according to federal court filings, as reported [1] by Fox News.
Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested in October 2025 and charged with destruction of property by means of fire. He has pleaded not guilty to charges tied to the January 2025 blaze that prosecutors say contributed to the larger Palisades Fire.
In a trial memorandum, prosecutors described Rinderknecht as increasingly agitated in the period before the fire. “In the months leading up to the fire, he had become increasingly angry with his life and society at large,” prosecutors wrote.
It has been reported that Palisades arson suspect Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of starting a fire that led to the deaths of 12 people, burned 7,000 homes, and damaged over 1,000 buildings, had become “fixated” on Luigi Mangione in the lead-up to the deadly blaze and… pic.twitter.com/A7P77LXnFG [2]
— I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) May 4, 2026 [3]
The filing states that Rinderknecht allegedly became focused on Luigi Mangione, who is accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on Dec. 4, 2024.
“For example, in the weeks and hours leading up to the fire, defendant fixated on Luigi Mangione, who allegedly murdered the UnitedHealthcare CEO in New York City on December 4, 2024,” prosecutors wrote.
According to prosecutors, Rinderknecht conducted online searches on Dec. 12 and 13, 2024, including “free LuigiMangione,” “let’s take down all the billionaires,” and “reddit lets kill all the billionaires.”
The court documents also state that on Jan. 3, 2025, he allegedly took a screenshot of an article about Mangione pleading not guilty.
Prosecutors cited accounts from Uber passengers who interacted with Rinderknecht on Dec. 31, 2024, and Jan. 1, 2025.
“Many of defendant’s Uber passengers on December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025, described defendant as angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting about being ‘pissed off at the world’ and Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilantism,” prosecutors wrote.
Investigators also questioned Rinderknecht on Jan. 24, 2025, about possible motivations for arson in Pacific Palisades. According to prosecutors, he allegedly linked such an act to resentment toward wealthy individuals.
“When investigators asked defendant why someone might commit arson in the Pacific Palisades, he responded that it would be out of resentment of the rich enjoying their money as ‘we’re basically being enslaved by them’ and compared such an act of ‘desperation’ to the murder for which Mangione was charged,” prosecutors wrote.
Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver in Los Angeles during the period surrounding the New Year, federal authorities said. Two passengers reportedly noted that he appeared agitated after a trip to Pacific Palisades.
Prosecutors also allege that Rinderknecht was dealing with personal frustrations prior to the incident, including issues involving a former co-worker he briefly dated in March 2024.
According to the filing, after the individual requested space on Dec. 30, 2024, Rinderknecht “left her two manic voicemails and entered prompts into ChatGPT expressing his extreme displeasure of her treatment of him.”
Authorities allege that after parking near the Skull Rock trailhead, Rinderknecht sparked a fire and later called 911. He also allegedly asked ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?” according to the complaint.
The filing states that while the initial fire, referred to as the Lachman Fire, was extinguished on Jan. 2, heavy winds later reignited embers, contributing to the Palisades Fire. The larger fire resulted in 12 deaths and left many people displaced.
Rinderknecht is facing multiple charges, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire.
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, addressed references to her client in the case.
“As we have stated before in multiple public court filings, Mr. Mangione does not support violent actions and does not condone past or future political violence. These repeated attempts to connect him to unrelated acts or to insinuate that he condones or supports these acts are irresponsible, dangerous, and prejudicial.”