Palisades arson suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to create images of burning city
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Federal authorities in Los Angeles said an arrest has been made in connection with January's destructive Pacific Palisades wildfires. Photo by Official Flickr Account of CAL FIRE / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Federal authorities in Los Angeles arrested a man accused of igniting January's destructive California wildfires.
The big picture: The Palisades Fire ranks among the most destructive in Los Angeles history, killing a dozen people and destroying more than 6,800 structures.
Driving the news: In a federal complaint, prosecutors alleged that Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old Uber driver from Melbourne, Florida, intentionally set the fire.
- Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement that Rinderknect was charged with destruction of property by fire.
- Prosecutors also allege Rinderknect was obsessed with fire imagery, using ChatGPT to create an image of a burning forest with crowds fleeing.
What they're saying: "A single person's recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen," Essayli said.
Zoom out: The U.S. Attorney's Office for California's Central District said Rinderknecht first set the fire on New Year's Day along a Santa Monica Mountains trail, a spark that would grow into the "Lachman Fire".
- Fire crews had thought they contained it. But, prosecutors said, "unbeknownst to anyone the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of dense vegetation."
- A week later, it roared to life, killing 12 people and wiping out nearly 7,000 homes and buildings, mostly in the Pacific Palisades, a wealthy neighborhood along the coast in western Los Angeles.
Zoom in: Prosecutors alleged Rinderknecht, a former Palisades resident, dropped off an Uber passenger on New Year's Eve before driving to a trailhead.
- There, he tried calling a friend, filmed videos on his iPhone and, prosecutors wrote, "listened to a rap song – to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days – whose music video included things being lit on fire."
- Prosecutors alleged he set a fire and tried to call 911, but poor cell service delayed the call. A nearby resident had already reported the fire by the time he did.
Prosecutors say Rinderknecht used ChatGPT before and after setting the fire.
- During his 911 calls, according to the complaint, Rinderknecht asked ChatGPT, "Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes." (ChatGPT's response was "Yes," followed by an explanation, per the complaint.)
Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht used ChatGPT to confide an obsession with fires and indulge it.
- "Following the Palisades fire tragedy, we responded to standard law enforcement requests related to this individual. Because this is an active criminal matter, we are deferring to law enforcement for additional details."
Rinderknecht created an image in July 2024 depicting a "burning forest" with "a crowd of people is running away from the fire, leading to the middle," according to the complaint.
- The complaint said Rinkernecht prompted ChatGPT to show "hundreds of thousands of people in poverty … trying to get past a gigantic gate with a big dollar sign on it."
- "On the other side of the gate and the entire wall is a conglomerate of the richest people. They are chilling, watching the world burn down, and watching the people struggle. They are laughing, enjoying themselves, and dancing."
What they're saying: An OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to Axios, "Following the Palisades fire tragedy, we responded to standard law enforcement requests related to this individual."
- The spokesperson added that the company maintains it has seen nothing to suggest its tools were used to create harm. "Because this is an active criminal matter, we are deferring to law enforcement for additional details."
