Palisades Fire suspect was allegedly 'fixated' on Luigi Mangione and held 'resentment of the rich': court docs

The antheral accused of mounting disconnected the New Year's Day occurrence that led to the deadly Palisades inferno was seemingly "fixated" with Luigi Mangione and held a "resentment of the rich," according to prosecutors.

Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested successful October 2025 and charged with demolition of spot by means of occurrence and pleaded not blameworthy aft being charged successful transportation to the Palisades Fire successful January 2025. In a caller proceedings memorandum, prosecutors said Rinderknecht was seemingly obsessed with Mangione, who is accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

"In the months starring up to the fire, helium had go progressively aggravated with his beingness and nine astatine large," prosecutors wrote. "For example, successful the weeks and hours starring up to the fire, suspect fixated connected Luigi Mangione, who allegedly murdered the UnitedHealthcare CEO successful New York City connected December 4, 2024."

Rinderknecht searched the presumption "free LuigiMangione," "lets instrumentality down each the billionaires" and "reddit lets termination each the billionaires" connected Dec. 12 and 13, 2024, national prosecutors said.

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Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged with igniting the blaze that became the Palisades Fire successful Los Angeles. (USAttyEssayli/X)

On Jan. 3, 2025, Rinderknecht allegedly took a screenshot of an nonfiction astir Mangione pleading not guilty.

"Many of defendant’s Uber passengers connected December 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025, described suspect arsenic angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting astir being 'pissed disconnected astatine the world' and Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilantism," prosecutors wrote successful a tribunal filing.

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When investigators asked Rinderknecht connected Jan. 24, 2025 wherefore idiosyncratic mightiness perpetrate arson successful the Pacific Palisades, helium allegedly responded it would beryllium retired of resentment and invoked Mangione.

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"When investigators asked suspect wherefore idiosyncratic mightiness perpetrate arson successful the Pacific Palisades, helium responded that it would beryllium retired of resentment of the affluent enjoying their wealth arsenic 'we’re fundamentally being enslaved by them' and compared specified an enactment of 'desperation' to the execution for which Mangione was charged," prosecutors wrote.

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Luigi Mangione attends an evidentiary proceeding successful the execution lawsuit of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson astatine the Manhattan Supreme Court successful New York connected Dec. 18, 2025. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Fox News Digital reached retired to Rinderknecht's lawyer for comment.

Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, told Fox News Digital successful a statement: "As we person stated earlier successful aggregate nationalist tribunal filings, Mr. Mangione does not support convulsive actions and does not condone past oregon aboriginal governmental violence. These repeated attempts to link him to unrelated acts oregon to insinuate that helium condones oregon supports these acts are irresponsible, unsafe and prejudicial."

Before Rinderknecht allegedly started the occurrence that served arsenic the precursor to the Palisades Fire, prosecutors said successful the memo that helium "exhibited utmost anger, indignation, and vexation astir being incapable to find companionship connected New Year’s Eve."

Specifically, prosecutors alleged, Rinderknecht was frustrated astir his narration with a erstwhile co-worker helium concisely dated successful March 2024. When the erstwhile co-worker requested abstraction from him connected Dec. 30, 2024, Rinderknecht "left her 2 manic voicemails and entered prompts into ChatGPT expressing his utmost displeasure of her attraction of him," prosecutors said.

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A sketch shows Jonathan Rinderknecht wrong national tribunal successful Orlando, Fla., connected Oct. 9, 2025. He faces charges for allegedly starting a New Year's Day occurrence that killed 12 radical successful Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Neftali Melendez/Unknown)

Federal authorities said Rinderknecht worked arsenic an Uber operator successful Los Angeles from New Year's Eve 2024 to New Year's Day 2025, adding that 2 of his passengers expressed that "he appeared agitated and aggravated that nighttime aft dropping disconnected a rider successful Pacific Palisades."

After allegedly sparking the occurrence aft parking astatine the Skull Rock trailhead, Rinderknecht called 911, past asked ChatGPT, "Are you astatine responsibility if a occurrence is assistance [sic] due to the fact that of your cigarettes?"

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ChatGPT, according to the complaint, responded with "Yes," and explained.

While prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht sparked the Lachman Fire, which was enactment retired Jan. 2, dense winds reignited underground embers, which sparked the Palisades Fire. In total, the Palisades Fire claimed the lives of 12 radical and near galore displaced.

Rinderknecht has been charged with demolition of spot by means of fire, arson affecting spot utilized successful interstate commerce and timber acceptable afire.