Palisades Fire arson suspect is anti-Trump climate activist

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of starting the blaze on Jan. 1, allegedly hiking into the hills above Los Angeles to ignite a brushfire. Prosecutors say the flames weren’t fully extinguished and reignited six days later, destroy more than 7,000 homes and businesses, killing 12 people, and scorching 24,000 acres across the region, the New York Post reports. Damages are estimated at $150 billion.

Authorities allege Rinderknecht recorded video of the fire, called police to report it, and later returned to watch firefighters battle the flames. He reportedly moved back to Florida soon after the incident.

On Facebook, Rinderknecht regularly shared political and environmental content. He posted memes mocking Trump supporters, linked to a Harris-Biden fundraiser, and frequently shared headlines about climate change and veganism. One article he posted, “Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration” from ProPublica, showed wildfires tearing through a California neighborhood.

Other posts included titles “Senator Kamala Harris Says Meat Is Destroying the Planet” and “Antarctica’s Ice Shelves Have Lost Millions of Metric Tons of Ice.” Prosecutors say he also created AI-generated images depicting burning cities and panicked crowds fleeing destruction.

In one of the few photos he shared of himself, Rinderknecht appeared with his face painted like a skull, mouth open, and covered in blood.