Federal law enforcement arrested suspected in connection with starting the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and burned thousands of acres. Among the evidence cited is an artificial intelligence image of a burning city that the suspect allegedly generated using ChatGPT.
Bill Esayli, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, he said on Wednesday that federal law enforcement is charging 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of Florida “with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.”
The says Doj investigators linked Rinderknecht to the crime through video surveillance, witness statements and phone records that placed him near the start of the fire. While press conferenceEssayli said other evidence includes ChatGPT’s encouragement to present what Essayli describes as a “dystopian image of a partially burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.” Essayli claims that Rinderknecht used ChatGPT to create the image “a few months before” the fire broke out.
As noted by the Department of Justice, Rinderknecht is accused of starting the Lachman Fire, which began burning on January 1, 2025. Although firefighters managed to contain the initial blaze, it reignited and grew into the Palisades Fire – the third most destructive fire in California history. It swept through the Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu, burning more than 23,000 acres and destroying more than 6,000 structures, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. state of California.
Prosecutors say Rinderknecht, who lived in Pacific Palisades at the time, gave a ride-share passenger a ride on Novel Year’s Eve and then parked the car near a trailhead called Skull Rock. Rinderknecht allegedly began walking along the trail, recording videos on his iPhone. According to a copy of the complaint, he also listened to “Un Zder, Un Thé,” a French rap song with a music video showing a person setting a trash can on fire. By Los Angeles Times.
Rinderknecht allegedly started the fire just after midnight on January 1 and then called 911 to report it. According to prosecutors, Rinderknecht asked ChatGPT during a telephone conversation: “Are you to blame if a fire was started because of your cigarettes?” Los Angeles Times.