Alleged L.A. Palisades Wildfire Arsonist Indicted on Federal Charges

The man accused of igniting the catastrophic Pacific Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles has been hit with a federal indictment.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Jonathan Rinderknecht was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on three counts together with two felonies. They’re all tied to the New Year’s Day blaze that destroyed almost 7,000 properties and companies and precipitated an estimated $150 billion in damages.

The indictment fees him with arson affecting property utilized in interstate commerce, destruction of property by hearth, and timber set afire that are all severe federal crimes.

Prosecutors say Rinderknecht deliberately set a brush hearth within the hills above L.A. on January 1, which firefighters initially managed to knock down however days later, it reignited and exploded into what turned generally known as the Palisades Fire, devastating total neighborhoods.