Alleged Palisades Arsonist 'Fixated' on Accused CEO Assassin Luigi Mangione Before Deadly Blaze Killed 12 People

Jonathan Rinderknecht, who allegedly kicked off the horrific Palisades Fire, is believed to have been "fixated" on Luigi Mangione before the deadly blaze was ignited, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Court documents have revealed the 30-year-old seemed to be in Mangione's corner, as he not only searched "free Luigi Mangione," but also looked up the phrase, "lets take down all the billionaires."

Rinderknecht, who made his living as an Uber driver, is said to have raged at his passengers about Mangione's arrest. Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.

He has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges.

"Many of defendant's Uber passengers on December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025, described defendant as angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting about being 'pissed off at the world' and Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilantism," prosecutors declared in a trial memorandum.

According to the court memo, Rinderknecht allegedly said it "would be out of resentment of the rich enjoying their money as 'we're basically being enslaved by them' and compared such an act of 'desperation' to the murder for which Mangione was charged," when asked why someone would start the fire.

Rindernecht, who has been behind bars without bail since October 2025, has already pleaded not guilty to several federal arson charges. The fire left 12 people dead, took out 7,000 homes and businesses, and also caused $150billion in damages.

According to investigators, after cameras in the area detected a fire, Rinderknecht reportedly called 911 several times, but was unable to get through because his iPhone was out of cellphone range. When he was finally able to reach 911, Rinderknecht reportedly typed a question into the ChatGPT app on his iPhone, asking, "Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?"

While smoking was considered a cause of the fire, the investigation determined cigarettes were not the cause, and confirmed the fire was "incendiary, i.e., an intentional ignition of a fire in an area or under circumstances where or when there should not be a fire."

They noted, "The cause of the fire was determined to be the introduction of an open flame (likely a lighter) to a combustible material such as vegetation or paper."

If convicted, Rindernecht could receive 20 years behind bars.

As for Mangione, he was charged with the murder of Thompson, who was shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel while he was walking to a conference alone in December 2024, following a five-day manhunt.

The accused murderer was found at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and allegedly had the gun used in the brazen crime, multiple IDs, and even a manifesto in his possession.

Mangione’s lawyers attempted to prevent the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office from presenting to jurors the 9 mm handgun prosecutors claimed matched the one used in the killing.

Mangione previously faced a potential death sentence if convicted, but he scored a victory last month when U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed a federal murder charge.

Mangione, who attended the University of Pennsylvania, has received plenty of support and is said to have been exchanging letters from behind bars with popular MAGA podcaster, Patrick Bet-David.