The man accused of starting the first fire that led to the deadly Palisades fire in January last year was a fan of Luigi Mangione, the radical leftist who killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, at point-blank range in December 2024 in New York.
According to the court documents in the case, Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, was frustrated by a failed romantic relationship with a former co-worker and was angry that he had no plans for the New Year before the fire started in The Palisades - one of the most exclusive, expensive and prestigious neighborhoods not only in Los Angeles, but in the entire United States - which ended up killing 12 people and destroying thousands of properties.
During his time as an Uber driver, Rinderknecht showed erratic behavior, with the passengers of the application describing him as someone who was furious, driving recklessly and ranting about his frustration with the world, as the ABC7 portal could find out.
But authorities also pointed out that Rinderknecht had an obsession with fire and seemed obsessed with Mangione. The pyromaniac told investigators that he committed the crime “out of resentment toward the rich who enjoy their money while we are basically enslaved by
