The Florida man suspected of starting the deadly Palisades Fire was stalked by a pervy neighbor who smoked crack; watched loud, violent porn; and tried to take advantage of him sexually, according to a newly uncovered lawsuit.
The claims by Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, were filed in March, weeks after prosecutors say he ignited the most expensive wildfire in US history, killing 12 people and torching thousands of homes across Los Angeles.
According to Rinderknecht’s claims, a male neighbor lured him into his Hollywood apartment, where the acquaintance smoked drugs, watched BDSM-themed porn, and tried to rip off Rinderknecht’s pants before he managed to escape.
The unidentified neighbor apologized a few days later, but then followed Rinderknecht to his own apartment, forced his way inside and once again attempted to get the alleged firebug’s clothes off, the suit went on.
Rinderknecht said he called the cops after the second incident and the man was arrested, but continued to stalk and harass him after release.
The neighbor allegeldy stole Rinderknecht’s mail and held it hostage, and on one occasion linked his phone to the arson suspect’s TV and streamed porn.
“Defendant has loitered outside Plaintiff’s apartment, knocking at all hours and waiting in common areas. … Other tenants in the building have reported similar harassment from Defendant,” the lawsuit reads.
At the time, Rinderknecht was facing a legal battle of his own.
On Jan. 7, the day the Palisades Fire broke out, he was sued for causing a motorcycle crash that left the rider with gruesome injuries, another court document shows.
Rinderknecht was driving for Doordash in the summer of 2024 when he made a wide left turn in his Volkswagen, smashing into a man on a Honda Nighthawk motorcycle.
The crash left the biker with lasting injuries, including neurological damage, and he may never recover, that suit claimed.
The crash occured six months before Rinderknecht sparked a blaze in a popular grassy hangout near the Pacific Palisades just after midnight on Jan. 1, investigators say.
That fire was knocked down, but continued to smolder — unnoticed — until it was whipped into a deadly inferno by high winds on Jan. 7.
Before the fire, Rinderknecht — who is originally from Melbourne, Fla. and was arrested in that state — had repeatedly watched a French rap video that features hip-hop artist Josman setting multiple fires as he talks about “despair and bitterness,” according to feds.
He had also asked ChatGPT to generate images of burning cities.