California arson suspect used ChatGPT to generate an image of a burning city, DOJ claims

Federal law enforcement has arrested a suspect in connection with starting what became the Palisades blaze that killed 12 people and burned through thousands of acres. Among the evidence cited is an AI image of a burning city that the suspect allegedly generated with ChatGPT.

Bill Essayli, the acting US Attorney for the Central District of California, said on Wednesday that federal law enforcement is charging 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of Florida “with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.”

The DOJ says investigators linked Rinderknecht to the crime with video surveillance, witness statements, and cellphone records that placed him near the start of the fire. During a press briefing, Essayli said other evidence includes a ChatGPT prompt for what Essayli describes as a “dystopian painting showing in part a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.” Essayli claims Rinderknecht used ChatGPT to create the image “a few months before” the fire started.

As noted by the DOJ, Rinderknecht is accused of lighting the Lachman Fire, which started burning on January 1st, 2025. Though firefighters managed to contain the initial blaze, it reignited and grew to become the Palisades wildfire — the third most destructive wildfire in California history. It swept through the Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu, burning over 23,000 acres and destroying more than 6,000 structures, according to data from the state of California.

Prosecutors claim that Rinderknecht, who lived in the Pacific Palisades at the time, dropped off a rideshare passenger on New Year’s Eve and then parked his car near a trailhead called Skull Rock. Rinderknecht allegedly started walking on the trail while taking videos with his iPhone. He also listened to “Un Zder, Un The,” a French rap song that has a music video showing someone lighting a trash can on fire, according to a copy of the complaint seen by the Los Angeles Times.

Rinderknecht allegedly lit the fire just after midnight on January 1st and then called 911 to report it. During his call, prosecutors claim, Rinderknecht asked ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift because of your cigarettes,” according to the LA Times.