He was arrested on Oct. 7 near his home in Melbourne, Florida, officials said.  A former Uber driver, is accused of igniting the January 1 blaze that claimed 12 lives, destroyed 6,000 structures, scorched over 23,000 acres, and caused an estimated $150 billion in damages - making it one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.

Officials said the Palisades fire was a “holdover” blaze, meaning it was a continuation of the Lachman fire allegedly started by Rinderknecht.

Authorities say Rinderknecht had just finished a ride-share shift and dropped off a passenger in Pacific Palisades when he drove toward Skull Rock Trailhead shortly after midnight on new year's day. 

He allegedly tried to contact a former friend and then walked up the trail, took photos on his phone, and listened to a rap song whose music video featured fire imagery, reported NBC News. At 12:12am (local time), environmental sensors detected the start of the fire. Investigators allege that Rinderknecht attempted to call 911 several times but couldn’t connect due to poor reception. He later reached emergency services to report the fire, as did a nearby resident.

Authorities say Rinderknecht fled the scene in his car but later returned, following fire trucks and filming firefighters battling the flames just after 1am.