On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.
The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht's started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day -- a blaze that eventually turned into one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history, causing death and widespread destruction.
Among the evidence that was collected from his digital devices was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city.
While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy.
Rinderknecht's initial appearance is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in the U.S. District Court in Orlando. Rinderknecht is presumed innocent until proven guilty.