The 29-year-old man accused of starting the devastating Los Angeles wildfire that destroyed parts of Pacific Palisades allegedly turned to ChatGPT moments after reporting the blaze: asking if he was “at fault if a fire is lit because of your cigarette.”According to a federal criminal complaint, Jonathan Rinderknecht called 911 at about 12.17am on New Year’s Day to report a small fire along a trail in the hills above the neighbourhood. GPS data placed him near the bottom of the trail, and during the same call, he typed his question into the ChatGPT app on his iPhone. The chatbot replied, “Yes,” followed by an explanation.Minutes later, the complaint says, Rinderknecht got into his car and drove away from the area at around 12.20am, passing fire engines heading in the opposite direction. Surveillance footage showed him speeding down Palisades Drive before turning around and following the engines back to the scene. Once there, he reportedly offered to help firefighters battle the flames — behaviour investigators described as “highly unusual.”Rinderknecht then walked back up the same trail he had used earlier that night to watch the fire burn. Investigators said he used his phone to record four short videos of the flames and the firefighters battling them at around 1.02amFederal prosecutors allege Rinderknecht lit the initial blaze on New Year’s Day, which smouldered underground before reigniting amid high winds a week later. The resulting “Lachman Fire” killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and buildings, making it the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Rinderknecht lied to investigators about his whereabouts that night, claiming he was near the bottom of the trail. He was arrested in Florida on Tuesday and is due to appear in court.Investigators determined the fire was deliberately set, likely using a lighter on dry vegetation or paper. They ruled out other causes, including power lines, lightning and fireworks.Court documents also reveal a series of disturbing ChatGPT prompts Rinderknecht wrote months before the blaze. In July 2024, he asked the chatbot to generate “a dystopian painting” featuring a “burning forest” and “the richest people… watching the world burn.” He later wrote to a relative saying he had “burned the Bible,” telling ChatGPT it made him feel “liberated.”
Images generated by Chatgpt
