The judge declared a mistrial Friday in the federal trial of the man accused of starting the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles last year, with the jury unable to reach a verdict.
Jonathan Rinderknecht was accused of «maliciously» starting a fire that six days later developed into what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.
In this Jan. 8, 2025, file photo, a man watches the flames from the Palisades Fire burning homes on the Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm in Los Angeles.
Apu Gomes/Getty Images, FILE
He was indicted on three federal counts — destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire — which carry up to 45 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty.
The jury began deliberating Wednesday morning. They reported being deadlocked Thursday afternoon, noting that there were two jurors with unwavering stances. The jury remained deadlocked on Friday, with 10 for not guilty and two for guilty, and Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said his office plans to retry the case.
«The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire,» Essayli said in a statement on social media. «We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.»
One of the jurors who was on the not guilty side told reporters that she felt there were a «lot of holes» in the government’s case.
«I don’t think there was enough evidence to say he started the first fire,» Syrena, 49, who declined to give her last name, told reporters upon leaving the Los Angeles courthouse on Friday.
Even if she did find him guilty of starting the first fire, she said she didn’t feel comfortable blaming someone for the Palisades Fire if the initial fire wasn’t properly extinguished.
«I’m not going to put somebody down for that entire thing,» she said.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Rinderknecht, who was working as an Uber driver at the time, ignited a brush fire that became known as the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025.
Despite being suppressed by fire crews, prosecutors allege that the fire continued to smolder until it surfaced again nearly a week later amid high winds and eventually became the Palisades Fire, which leveled neighborhoods in Los Angeles County and left 12 people dead.
In this Jan. 11, 2025, file photo, a firefighting helicopter drops water as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood and Encino, Calif.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Rinderknecht, a former Los Angeles resident, was arrested in Florida nine months after the Palisades Fire.
Prosecutors alleged he was upset about a past relationship, was fixated on wealth disparity and climate change in messages with ChatGPT and wanted «revenge» against society for his problems.
The government also alleged he was fixated on Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Following the December 2024 shooting, they say he searched for news on Mangione as well as used the search terms «free Luigi Mangione,» «lets take down all the billionaires» and «reddit lets kill all the billionaires.»
In this Feb. 27, 2025, file photo, an aerial view shows the ruins of homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Mario Tama/Getty Images, FILE
Prosecutors said Rinderknecht ended up working on Dec. 31, 2024, because he had no plans to celebrate New Year’s Eve. They said he went to Skull Rock Trailhead in Topanga State Park after dropping off a passenger in the Pacific Palisades.
They alleged he used a BIC lighter to ignite the Lachman Fire, which they said was not found to be caused by lightning, fireworks or power lines.
Rinderknecht called 911 multiple times to report the fire while close to the ignition site of the Lachman Fire, and took videos of it, according to prosecutors. He also made a screen-recording on his iPhone of himself attempting to call 911, which prosecutors argued during closing statements was suspicious and pointed to his guilt.
When interviewed in the wake of the Palisades Fire, he told investigators that he saw no fireworks in the area when the Lachman Fire started, prosecutors said. When asked why someone would start a fire in the Pacific Palisades, he mentioned wealth disparity could be one of the reasons why, according to prosecutors.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, accused of deliberately setting a blaze that grew into one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires on record in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, attends his trial at federal court in Los Angeles, on June 10, 2026, in a courtroom sketch.
Mona Edwards via Reuters
The defense said Rinderknecht went to the area to watch fireworks, and argued that the Lachman Fire was started by fireworks. His defense attorney, Steve Haney said Rinderknecht called 911 to try to stop the fire, and that the government found no evidence that he was planning a fire.
During closing statements, Haney argued there was no direct evidence supporting that Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire and questioned the government’s theory that it was a «holdover» blaze that developed into the Palisades Fire.
Over two weeks, jurors heard testimony from arson and fire experts, saw digital and cellular evidence and heard audio of Rinderknecht’s interviews with investigators and his 911 call reporting the Lachman Fire. They also heard testimony from those impacted by the Palisades Fire.
Jonathan Rinderknecht is seen in a photo released by the Department of Justice.
Department of Justice
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, decimating the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to California fire officials.
It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.
The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, allowed them to spread quickly.
