SUSPECT'S LIFE IN L.A. BEFORE THE BLAZE

He's the son of Baptist missionaries who loved soccer as a child.

- BY MATT HAMILTON, NATHAN SOLIS, TERRY CASTLEMAN, SALVADOR HERNANDEZ AND JULIA WICK

BRIAN VAN DER BRUG Los Angeles Times MEMBERS of the Mexican National Guard help search for remains in the ruins of a burned home in January.

In the Hollywood neighborhood where he lived and worked as an Uber driver, one acquaintance described him as "a really nice guy." Yet he was embroiled in an ugly legal conflict with a neighbor in his apartment complex that included accusations of abuse and drug use.

Now, federal prosecutors accuse Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, of intentionally sparking one of the most destructive fires in California history.

In a court filing, authorities accuse Rinderknecht of setting a fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 along a popular hiking trail in Pacific Palisades. They allege he repeatedly listened to a brooding French rap song and downloaded an AI-generated image depicting a burning city.

Rinderknecht could not be reached for comment, and authorities did not offer a motive for the alleged actions.

According to public records and posts on social media, the 29-year-old has roots in Florida, Hollywood, Pacific Palisades and the south of France, where his parents did missionary work.

As recently as this spring, records show, Rinderknecht lived and was registered to vote at a Hollywood apartment building, just north of Hollywood Boulevard, near the Roosevelt Hotel.

A few months ago, federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives visited the complex and appeared to search his unit. The agents carried guns, a neighbor said, adding, "They were going in and out" of the unit.