Uber Rider Describes Palisades Fire Suspect’s ‘Incel Energy’

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(Bloomberg) — An Uber passenger driven by the man accused of sparking the massive 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles said Jonathan Rinderknecht exhibited disturbing behavior the night prosecutors say he committed arson.

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Brennan White, of Los Angeles, testified Friday that after Rindernecht picked up him and his fiancee on New Year’s Eve, he began driving erratically and displayed “incel energy,” which White said was slang for “involuntary celibacy” or “a loner.”

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Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht, 30, felt alienated and acted in revenge against society by setting a brush fire on a Pacific Palisades hillside with a barbeque lighter after dropping off a passenger in the wealthy neighborhood.

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The blaze was quickly contained by firefighters, but authorities say it smoldered underground until gale-force winds whipped it on Jan. 7, 2025, into the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. 

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Rinderknecht’s lawyer contends he’s innocent and has been made a “scapegoat” for the failure of firefighters to prevent embers from rekindling six days later.

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White told jurors that minutes after the ride started, the driver began swerving through traffic and launched into a tirade.

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“He said, ‘F**k Trump’ and ‘humanity is crumbling’ and ‘there are no good girls out here,’” White told a federal jury in Los Angeles. 

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White said his fiancee became so nervous that she squeezed his leg as Rinderknecht dodged traffic and was “ranting.” White said he decided not to provoke the driver. 

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“I decided it was best to lay low and not say anything,” White said. “He was in control of the car.”

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Asked by defense lawyer Steve Haney why he didn’t complain to Uber, White replied, “We live in Los Angeles, so I can say there’s a lot of crazy people out there. I’ve got better things to do than report my Uber driver.”

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Uber Technologies Inc. has said it cooperated with the investigation of the Palisades Fire and deactivated Rinderknecht from the platform as soon as the company learned he was a suspect.

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Macy Miller, an Uber passenger on a different ride with Rinderknecht that New Year’s Eve, testified that he picked up a group that included her and three friends after dinner in Malibu. 

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She said Rinderknecht was driving so fast along cliffsides on the Pacific Coast Highway she feared he would veer into the ocean.

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Rinderknecht became increasingly agitated and began talking about vigilantism and anti-capitalism, and expressed his hatred of President Donald Trump, Miller said. She also testified that he voiced support for Luigi Mangione, the Ivy League graduate charged with gunning down a health insurance executive in Manhattan in December 2024. 

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“I told my friend Sam right when we got out, I was just like, ‘He’s a psychopath, I just know it,’” Miller testified. She said she “had such a bad feeling” after the ride.

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An Uber executive testified that Rinderknecht had a driver rating of 4.8 out of a possible 5.0.

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During a break after the executive’s testimony, US District Judge Anne Hwang directed prosecutors to limit statements by their witnesses, saying Rinderknecht’s “political views are not part of this case.”

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Trial testimony continues next week. If he’s convicted, Rinderknecht faces as long as 45 years in prison, prosecutors said.

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