On January 7th, 2025, a fire in Pacific Palisades spread drastically over 23,000 acres. The fire took 29 lives and left an uncertain number of people injured. To this day, some parts of Los Angeles are still recovering from the tragic fire. On October 8th, 2025, 29 year old Johnathon Rinderknecht was arrested for creating the foundation of the deadly fire that happened earlier this year. Rinderknecht was a former Uber driver and lived in Melbourne, Florida where he was eventually caught and detained. Rinderknecht was looking to face 20 years and is now looking at 40 years with a minimum of 5 years in federal prison. Rinderknecht is charged with the three counts of Indictment, one count of Destruction of Property, along with one count of Arson.
The Palisades Fire put people in difficult situations, leaving many unhoused individuals without food, sleep deprived, and without resources. Numerous animals were placed in shelters, found deceased from the fire, or have remained missing. Neighboring cities contributed in any way they could by donating, providing shelter for people with no home, food, and overall comfort. Chino was one of these cities that donated to the people in need. Businesses hosted clothing drives, food drives, and more. Mariana Gutierrez, Senior, started, “Me and my grandpa helped with donating food.”
While the help of neighboring cities aided the suffering of multiple communities, is it enough to feel safe? Many people believe that there should be background checks on Ubers because of incidents like this. Micheal Medina, 10, claims, “I believe we should have background checks on Ubers for our safety.” This goes to show you never know who you are truly meeting for the first time.
