"He left as soon as he saw the fire trucks were headed to the location. He turned around and went back up there. And he took some video and, and watched them fight the fire,"
"wanted to preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire and he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire,"
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested in Florida and charged with malicious destruction by means of fire for a Jan. 1 blaze that destroyed much of Pacific Palisades. The fire was initially extinguished by crews but smoldered underground and reignited during high winds, producing catastrophic destruction. Rinderknecht fled the original scene, returned to record and watch, and made several 911 calls. He provided investigators the location where the fire began, lied about his trail location, appeared visibly anxious during interview, and queried ChatGPT about whether a cigarette could start a fire. Investigators determined the fire was intentionally lit.
Read at Fortune
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