On Wednesday, federal officials announced they had arrested a man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, the devastating blaze that raged across California at the beginning of this year.

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From the Daily Wire:

The Justice Department and the Los Angeles Police Department said at a press conference that 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of Melbourne, Florida, started the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Day. The Lachman Fire eventually became the Palisades Fire after it was rekindled by severe winds a week later. In the federal criminal complaint, Rinderknecht is charged with maliciously starting the fire that eventually “burned down the Palisades,” according to Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

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Essayli said that Rinderknecht, an Uber driver, was in Pacific Palisades late on New Year’s Eve after working throughout the evening. Rinderknecht allegedly got out of his car and walked up a trail to a nearby hilltop, where he recorded videos and listened to a rap song. The song was accompanied by a music video that showed objects being set on fire, according to Essayli.

“Twelve minutes into the new year, environmental sensing platforms indicated that a fire had started. It took the defendant several tries to contact 911 to report the fire,” Essayli said. “He fled the scene in his car, but turned around after passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction to fight the fire. While the Lachman Fire burned, the defendant walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and firefighters, using his iPhone to take short videos of the scene.”

The attorney added that the Lachman Fire later went on to become the Palisades Fire. IFA covered this fire while it was happening, and the Daily Wire notes that it eventually killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Perhaps most shocking is what investigators learned about Rinderknecht’s behavior. The suspect’s Uber passengers said that he seemed “agitated” on the right he allegedly started the fire. Furthermore, Rinderknecht reportedly used ChatGPT to generate images of burning cities in the months leading up to the fire. He also had ominous conversations with the AI, telling it that he “felt so liberated” after burning a Bible he had.

According to the New York Post, Rinderknecht was supposed to appear in court this week, though the prosecution pushed to delay the trial in order gather witnesses. The Post notes that, if convicted, Rinderknecht could face a minimum sentence of five to twenty years. Prosecutors could even seek the death penalty if he is convicted of intentionally starting the fire.

As this court case plays out, let’s pray for justice!

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(Excerpt from the Daily Wire. Photo Credit: CAL FIRE_Official – Palisades Fire)