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The suspect charged with causing the deadly Palisades Fire in Southern California will remain in the custody of U.S. marshals without bail ahead of trial.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathan W. Hill cited 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht’s mental health, unsteady income and complicated relationship with his family as reasons for the decision on Thursday in Orlando, Florida.
Three of Rinderknecht’s siblings – two sisters and one brother – sat in the second row during the hearing. One of his sisters started crying after the judge made his ruling.
Federal officials said during a news conference on Wednesday that Rinderknecht was arrested in Melbourne the previous day. Rinderknecht is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Day, which kept burning underground and reemerged as the Palisades Fire due to strong winds on Jan. 7.
WHO IS JONATHAN RINDERKNECHT, PALISADES FIRE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF SPARKING DEADLY BLAZE?
Rinderknecht was an Uber driver, and he was described by two passengers as “agitated and angry” the night he was accused of starting the fire, a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News said.
Officials said during the news conference that he was a resident of Palisades and was familiar with the neighborhood. He allegedly used an “open flame” to ignite the blaze after just having dropped off passengers.
ARREST MADE IN CONNECTION TO DEADLY PACIFIC PALISADES FIRE, SOURCES SAY
An Uber spokesperson told Fox News Digital the company has “partnered closely with the ATF to determine the driver’s whereabouts on and around Jan. 1” and that its “GPS data placed him near the location of the start of the Lachman fire on Jan. 1.”
Rinderknecht’s access to the Uber platform was revoked once Uber learned of his suspected involvement in the fire, the company said.
All Uber drivers “must pass a state-mandated background check in order to drive with Uber and are rescreened annually,” the Uber spokesperson said.
Fox News’ Andre Tinoco, Bill Melugin and Matt Finn contributed to this report.
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