Defendant linked to Palisades fires compared act to UnitedHealthcare CEO assassination, prosecutors

The Uber driver charged in connection with starting a fire in Los Angeles County mountains that eventually exploded into the deadly Palisades fire compared the act to the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, federal prosecutors said in a recently filed court document.

The defendant, Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, is accused of starting the Lachman fire on Jan. 1, 2025, which smoldered underground for a week before purportedly exploding into the deadly Palisades fire, according to The Los Angeles Times. 

Prosecutors also say in the court filing that passengers on one of Rinderknecht's Uber trips hours before he allegedly started the fire, on New Year's Eve, described him as being "angry, intense, and driving erratically." 

The document is a pretrial memorandum filed April 29 in a California court and also states Rinderknecht, 30, told investigators, when he was asked why someone might set the neighborhood on fire, that it would be out of anger toward the wealthy. 

"We're basically being enslaved by them," he purportedly said.

He also compared the act to one of "desperation," similar to Thompson's assassination, according to The Washington Times. 

The defendant in that killing, Luigi Mangione, received support from people angry at the health insurance industry. 

Investigators also reportedly found internet searches showing that Rinderknecht, from Melbourne, Florida, was fixated on Mangione.

In October, a grand jury indicted Rinderknecht on one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 45 years in prison, if he's convicted. 

Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty. His attorney argues that prosecutors have no evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire.

The fire killed 12 people and caused billions of dollars in damages.