Jury deliberations underway in trial of Palisades Fire arson suspect

Jury deliberations began on Wednesday for the man accused of sparking the blaze that eventually became the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire last year.

Jonathan Rinderknect's trial began June 10 in a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. He's facing up to 45 years in prison if convicted on the charges of destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire. 

Rinderknecht, who at one point lived in the Pacific Palisades, pleaded not guilty to the charges in Oct. 2025.

The 30-year-old Florida resident had just finished a shift as an Uber driver during the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2025, when he allegedly started the Lachman Fire in an area of the hills in the Palisades that was covered with heavy vegetation. Prosecutors said he called 911 multiple times and initially fled the scene, but returned to the area after witnessing fire engines passing by.

Geolocation data from his phone indicated that he was just 30 feet away from the flames as they began to spread, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors have argued that Rinderknecht was agitated and angry when he started the fire.

The Lachman Fire was initially limited to about eight acres and didn't destroy any structures, but investigations revealed that catastrophic Santa Ana winds may have rekindled embers that led to the Palisades Fire beginning near the same location.

"Although firefighters suppressed the [Lachman Fire], the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of the dense vegetation," first assistant U.S. attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference announcing the charges last year. "It smoldered underground for about a week until, on Jan. 7, heavy winds caused this underground fire to surface and spread above ground, causing what became known as the Palisades Fire."

The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres of land in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu and the Santa Monica mountains. Twelve people were killed, according to Cal Fire, and more than 6,800 structures were destroyed.

Rinderknecht's defense has argued that he was simply a witness to the blaze.

"No matter what the government's theory is, the evidence will show Jonathan did not start the Jan. 1 fire," Defense attorney Steve Haney said, noting that when Rinderknecht saw the brushfire just after midnight, he called 911 multiple times to report it.

Prosecutors have noted his alleged fascination with fire, using ChatGPT prompts and his media consumption habits as evidence. In June 2024, he created a ChatGPT prompt, instructing it to create Artificial Intelligence-generated images of a burning city.

It's not yet clear when the jury will reach a verdict.