Arsonist behind Palisades fire looked up to Luigi Mangione as hero, prosecutors say - BERITAJA

The man who started the Palisades fire, 1 of the costliest disasters successful U.S. history, was motivated by a resentment for the rich | and viewed accused United Healthcare CEO slayer Luigi Mangione arsenic a Robin Hood-like figure, according to tribunal documents detailing grounds gathered by national prosecutors.

In a tribunal little revenge past week, authorities opportunity Jonathan Rinderknecht searched “Free Luigi” and “reddit lets termination each billionaires” successful December 2024, according to a forensic reappraisal of his computer. Rinderknecht, 30, is accused of starting the Lachman occurrence successful the Pacific Palisades Jan. 1, 2025, which smoldered underground for a week past exploded into the deadly Palisades fire.

According to the brief, passengers described Rinderknecht arsenic “angry, intense, driving erratically and ranting about being ‘pissed disconnected astatine the world’ and Luigi Mangione, capitalism and vigilantism,” successful the hours earlier the timepiece struck midnight.

“On New Year’s Eve 2024, the suspect was unsocial again,” national prosecutors wrote successful a 25-page little of proceedings evidence. They alleged a narration pinch a co-worker had ended earlier that twelvemonth and that connected Dec. 30, 2024, she rebuffed him again, starring to a “visceral reaction: he near her 2 manic voicemails and entered prompts into ChatGPT expressing his utmost displeasure pinch her curen of him.”

Authorities allege successful their little that he was stewing complete being successful the vicinity of his ex-lover and listening to a French rap opus that evoked images of occurrence successful its euphony video.

Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested Oct. 7, 2025 successful Florida

(U.S. Attorney’s Office)

It whitethorn beryllium excessively overmuch of a agelong to necktie each of these pieces of circumstantial grounds together to make a coagulated lawsuit for Rinderknecht’s prosecution, said Neama Rahmani, a erstwhile national prosecutor. The prosecution “has to person the tribunal to admit the grounds of his relationships, his dislike of capitalism, and praising Luigi Mangione as...motive evidence. Unlike the fascination pinch fire, which is defense is besides opposing, the judge whitethorn find that this different grounds is excessively attenuated,” Rahmani said.

Rahmani said the lawsuit is proving the January 1 rekindled days later. “The prosecution is relying connected ATF experts to found this, and the defense has designated experts of their ain to rebut. This is the about important rumor successful the lawsuit and whoever wins the conflict of the experts will prevail.”

Prosecutors allege the grounds shows the Lachman occurrence that erupted connected Hidden Buddha Hill connected Jan. 1—that officials thought had been extinguished—had burned for days and reignited amid hurricane-force winds connected Jan. 7. The Palisades occurrence killed 12 people, destroyed 6,500 structures crossed the Palisades and Malibu and costs billions successful damages and security claims.

Within 3 weeks of the fire, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agents focused connected Rinderknecht, who called 911 many times to study the fire. Investigators seized a BIC barbecue lighter from Rinderknecht’s car pinch his DNA connected it that he admitted to having pinch him successful the Temescal Canyon trail, according to the proceedings brief.

Investigators sewage warrants for his compartment telephone and a big of electronics aft tying the conveyance he drove for Uber to the scene, moreover noting he turned backmost successful his conveyance to travel firefighters backmost to the burn.

“On December 29, 2024, conscionable 2 days earlier the Lachman Fire, suspect recorded 3 videos of occurrence engines departing LAFD Station No. 27 successful the Hollywood area,” prosecutors wrote. “While recording, suspect said retired large (apparently to himself), “They’re coming for you bro, I’m telling you, you sewage to get that intelligence f... brains successful order, and not beryllium liking this craziness, they’re connected their way, don’t worry.”

Asked by an interrogator connected Jan. 24, why personification would group the blaze, Rinderknecht said it “would beryllium retired of resentment of the rich | enjoying their money” and “compared specified an enactment of ‘desperation’” to Mangione’s sidesplitting of a United Healthcare executive connected a New York thoroughfare earlier that year, according to national prosecutors.

Rinderknecht utilized his iPhone to return videos astatine the clearing and perceive to a French rap opus “Un Zder, Un The,” which the affidavit said was about despair and bitterness and shows a trash could connected fire.

“When interviewed by investigators, the suspect falsely claimed that he first saw the occurrence arsenic he was already halfway down the hill, stepping backmost to his car. Based connected the geolocation information for the defendant’s phone, he was still successful Buddha Hill clearing (at the apical of the hill) watching the occurrence turn erstwhile he called 911,” prosecutors noted.

Eight months aft the fire, Rinderknecht would beryllium arrested. Prosecutors opportunity he lit the occurrence astatine 12:12 a.m. and stayed successful the area until 2 a.m.

Steve Haney, Rinderknecht’s lawyer, said the authorities has nary grounds tying his customer to the Lachman fire. In tribunal briefings, he argues the origin of the Palisades occurrence could beryllium traced backmost to Los Angeles metropolis firefighting commanders failing to decently extinguish an existing smoldering occurrence — not started by his customer — contempt warnings from crews connected the crushed that it was not out.

“Critically, the authorities possesses: nary eyewitness who observed Mr. Rinderknecht starting the fire; nary beingness grounds of accelerants, ignitable fluids, aliases materials associated pinch deliberate arson astatine the root site; nary incriminating statements aliases admissions by Mr. Rinderknecht; nary surveillance video of Mr. Rinderknecht committing immoderate enactment of arson; and nary recognition of the precise ignition root aliases the circumstantial point of substance first ignited,” Haney wrote.

Beyond cellphone pings placing Rinderknecht successful the wide area wherever the occurrence began, Haney and his experts reason that authorities person fewer specifics from the terabytes of evidence.

In fact, early hunt warrants focused connected fireworks that residents reported hearing. An ATF study connected the origin does not describe the residents who said they saw the fireworks that night, nor the 4 teens seen by a information defender aliases an unhoused personification successful the area, Haney noted.

Federal prosecutors, seeking to imprison Rinderknect for up to 45 years, opportunity they will telephone ATF experts to refute that fireworks, a cigarette, aliases powerlines started the Palisades Fire

“The origin of the occurrence was the preamble of an unfastened occurrence (lighter) to a combustible worldly specified arsenic vegetation aliases mean combustibles, specified arsenic paper,” the ATF study concluded and that would yet go the Palisades Fire.

Federal prosecutors allege that aft he moved to his sister’s Florida location successful April 2025, Rinderknech “blew up” and threatened to pain her location down, while yelling statements for illustration “why did you bring maine here.”

“Defendant’s fascination pinch occurrence dates backmost to astatine slightest 2018,” national prosecutors wrote, explaining he drove done the Santa Monica and Winnetka areas pinch his past woman to “admire the Woolsey Fire.”

The lawsuit will return national tribunal successful downtown L.A. May 11, wherever a judge will see arguments from some sides connected grounds to see successful the trial.