Jury Reaches Verdict in Trial of Palisades Fire Arson Suspect

A federal jury has reached a verdict in the arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, the 30-year-old Florida resident accused of igniting the fire that grew into the destructive Palisades Fire. Prosecutors argued Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire on a hiking trail known as Skull Rock in the Pacific Palisades early on Jan.

1, 2025. They said the blaze smoldered underground for days before flaring into the larger Palisades Fire on Jan. 7. The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres across Pacific Palisades, Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains. Cal Fire reported 12 deaths and more than 6,800 structures destroyed before the fire was fully contained on Jan.

31.

Prosecutors used geolocation data showing Rinderknecht’s phone was 30 feet from the initial flames. They also presented surveillance footage and records of his digital searches about whether cigarettes can start wildfires. A passenger who rode with Rinderknecht on New Year’s Eve testified he appeared erratic and upset during the trip from Nobu in Malibu to Santa Monica.

Prosecutors said Rinderknecht had just finished an Uber shift when the Lachman Fire began.

Defense attorney Steve Haney moved to dismiss the case, arguing the government failed to produce physical evidence such as accelerants. He noted that multiple witnesses described the Lachman and Palisades fires as separate incidents. Haney told the jury that Rinderknecht made multiple 911 calls after seeing the flames and remained at the scene, behavior he said was inconsistent with an arsonist.