The federal trial for the man accused of sparking the Palisades fire last year began Monday.
Jonathan Rinderknecht made an appearance in court for the jury selection process after having pled not guilty to starting what is considered one of deadliest wildfires in California’s history. According to prosecutors, the defendant started the fire on January 1, 2025. The fire burned so deeply that it flared back up six days later.
The incident racked up a death toll of 30 people and caused the destruction of tens of thousands of houses in neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
Rinderknecht’s attorney, Steve Haney, has said that his client is being used as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department failing to fully put the fire out on January 1.
The incident had far-reaching effects, as nearly 18 months later, the Palisades is still recovering from the after effects. There are more than 450 ongoing construction projects, with only 17 homes marked safe for occupancy. A handful of businesses that were damaged have been reopened, according to a local.
Judge Anne Hwang has decided that the defense is not allowed to introduce arguments about negligence by the fire department because, she said, it is irrelevant and could be confusing to the jury.
The defense had planned to include testimony from a firefighter that the first fire wasn’t completely extinguished before they left. This was reported in a statement attached to a lawsuit filed by victims against the city. Haney also plans to assert that there is not solid evidence to link his client to the first fire and that fireworks were heard near the location where the blaze began.
Prosecutors have geolocation data from Rinderknecht’s phone that shows he was in the area of the fire as it grew, and investigators later found a Bic barbecue lighter in his car that he admitted to having with him on the trail. Their claim is that he was having relationship problems and New Year’s Eve plans feel through causing him to tell his Uber driver that he was mad at the world.
Rinderknecht faces a minimum of five years in prison if convicted on charges that include malicious destruction by fire.
