Retrial Begins for Man Accused in Palisades Fire

The retrial of Jonathan Rinderknecht began with jury selection on November 2 at a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Prosecutors accuse the 30-year-old of setting the Lachman Fire, which they say smoldered underground before resurfacing on January 7, 2025, and becoming the Palisades Fire. Rinderknecht entered a not-guilty plea and contests the accusations.

The Palisades Fire killed 12 people, burned 23,448 acres and destroyed about 6,500 structures in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. A jury in Rinderknecht’s first trial deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquittal, leading a judge to declare a mistrial. The new indictment contains two charges: destruction of property by fire and setting a blaze at property involved in interstate commerce. The first charge concerns the alleged ignition of the Lachman Fire.

At the first trial, prosecutors presented witness testimony, surveillance video, phone data and fire analysis, arguing that Rinderknecht deliberately started the blaze. His lawyer said there was no hard evidence linking him to arson, and argued that fireworks may have caused the first fire and that the later blaze could have been a separate event. Prosecutors have also sought to keep the retrial focused on Rinderknecht’s alleged actions, rather than the fire department’s response to the Lachman Fire. The judge has ruled that jurors must not hear references to the first trial.