Judge declares mistrial in case against Palisades Fire arson suspect, Justice Department says
A judge has declared a mistrial in the trial against Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting a blaze that erupted into the deadly and destructive Palisades fire in 2025.
The U.S. Department of Justice said after the jury returned to court for deliberations on Friday morning, the judge determined a deadlock could not be broken and declared a mistrial.
"The court finds there is a manifest necessity to declare a mistrial because the jury is deadlocked," Judge Anne Hwang said, with 10 jurors set on a not-guilty verdict and two others determined to convict.
Defense attorney Steve Haney said the vote count was a "pretty resounding indication" that his client is innocent.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said his office fully intends to retry the case before a new jury.
"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 post on X.
On Thursday, after the jury notified the court that they had reached a verdict, a note was sent to the judge saying they were unable to reach a unanimous decision, according to the DOJ.
The jury's note Thursday said "We have people on both sides that are dead set, unwavering and unwilling to change their opinion."
Rinderknecht was charged with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire.
The case against him argued that he maliciously started a fire near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles the morning of Jan. 1, 2025. That fire eventually developed into what became the deadly Palisades Fire.
The DOJ said that through their investigation, law enforcement agencies determined that the Palisades Fire was a "holdover" fire and was a continuation of the Lachman Fire, which sparked the morning of Dec. 31, 2024. Firefighters responded to the fire and were able to suppress it, but it continued to smolder and burn underground.
Rinderknecht, 29, a Florida resident, had picked up a shift as an Uber driver during the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2025, when prosecutors allege he started the Lachman Fire. The blaze burned an area of the hills in the Palisades that was covered with heavy vegetation.
Prosecutors said Rinderknecht called 911 multiple times and initially fled the scene but returned to the area after seeing fire engines pass by.
Rinderknecht's defense has maintained the argument that he was simply a witness to the fire.
"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.
The DOJ said during an interview with law enforcement on Jan. 24, 2025, Rinderknecht allegedly lied about where he was when he first saw the Lachman Fire. Geolocation data from his phone confirmed that he was just 30 feet away from the flames as they began to spread, prosecutors said.
They also argued that Rinderknecht was agitated and angry when he started the fire.
The Palisades Fire, fueled by life-threatening winds and hot conditions, burned more than 23,000 acres of land in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu and the Santa Monica mountains. According to Cal Fire, 12 people were killed and more than 6,800 structures were destroyed.
The Palisades Fire was fully contained on Jan. 31, 24 days after it started. It is the third most destructive fire in state history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
