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An Uber passenger says he rode with the man now accused of sparking Southern California’s deadly Palisades Fire. Brennan White told FOX 11 that driver Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, seemed angry and ranted about not finding girls and politics during a New Year’s Eve ride. Officials say Rinderknecht sparked a small fire after dropping off passengers; the blaze re‑ignited Jan. 7 amid strong winds and grew into the Palisades Fire. White later provided detectives a ride receipt and recognized the arrested driver’s photo. Uber says it removed the driver from its platform and worked closely with the ATF.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.