"The DOJ says investigators linked Rinderknecht to the crime with video surveillance, witness statements, and cellphone records that placed him near the start of the fire. During a press briefing, Essayli said other evidence includes a ChatGPT prompt for what Essayli describes as a "dystopian painting showing in part a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it." Essayli claims Rinderknecht used ChatGPT to create the image "a few months before" the fire started."
"As noted by the DOJ, Rinderknecht is accused of lighting the Lachman Fire, which started burning on January 1st, 2025. Though firefighters managed to contain the initial blaze, it reignited and grew to become the Palisades wildfire - the third most destructive wildfire in California history. It swept through the Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu, burning over 23,000 acres and destroying more than 6,000 structures, according to data from the state of California."
"Prosecutors claim that Rinderknecht, who lived in the Pacific Palisades at the time, dropped off a rideshare passenger on New Year's Eve and then parked his car near a trailhead called Skull Rock. Rinderknecht allegedly started walking on the trail while taking videos with his iPhone. He also listened to "Un Zder, Un The," a French rap song that has a music video showing someone lighting a trash can on fire, according to a copy of the complaint seen by the Los Angeles Times."
Federal prosecutors charged 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht with maliciously starting the Lachman Fire on January 1, 2025, which later reignited and became the Palisades wildfire that killed 12 people and burned over 23,000 acres. Investigators cite video surveillance, witness statements, and cellphone records placing Rinderknecht near the fire's origin. Additional evidence includes a ChatGPT prompt reportedly used to generate a dystopian image of a burning forest and fleeing crowd months before the blaze. Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht dropped off a rideshare passenger on New Year's Eve, parked near Skull Rock, filmed on the trail with his iPhone, and listened to a song whose video depicts arson.
Read at The Verge
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