A suspected arsonist was taken into custody in Santa Monica on Monday after allegedly setting multiple fires in Pacific Palisades the day before, authorities said, rattling a community still rebuilding from last year's catastrophic Palisades Fire as federal prosecutors try a man accused of starting that disaster.
Los Angeles Police Department officers identified the suspect after alert residents in Pacific Palisades witnessed fires being set Sunday and photographed a Nissan Versa they believed was connected. Witnesses provided the vehicle's license plate number to police, who used automated license plate reader cameras to locate the car Monday morning in Santa Monica.
Officers conducted what police described not as a pursuit but as a "following" — tracking the vehicle after obtaining an identity on the suspect, positioning officers in the area with helicopter support and pulling him over without incident.
According to LAPD, the suspect allegedly set four separate fires in the Pacific Palisades area on Sunday. Most involved brush, though one may have involved an outbuilding or portable toilet. The case has been forwarded to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and LAFD arson investigators are also working the case.
Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the district, announced the arrest Monday and credited witnesses, construction workers, a Flock camera system, LAPD and LAFD with extinguishing the fires and identifying the suspect. Authorities have not released the suspect's name, the precise locations of the fires or potential charges.
"Eighteen months after the Palisades Fire, our community has every reason to take fire threats seriously," Park said. "Multiple intentionally set fires this weekend are infuriating."
Separately, LAFD responded Saturday morning to a grass fire near 17000 W. Sunset Blvd. that burned approximately 50 feet by 100 feet of vegetation. No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported. Authorities have not said whether that incident was among the fires connected to the arrest.
The arrests come as federal prosecutors are trying Jonathan Rinderknecht, who has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he started the New Year's Day Lachman Fire above Pacific Palisades. Court filings allege that fire reignited during a wind event and became the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in January 2025.
"Anyone who deliberately puts lives, homes, and a recovering community at risk will face the full consequences of their actions," Park said.
— The Westside Current contributed to this report