The federal arson trial for a Florida man accused of starting a fire that re-ignited a few days later to become the deadly Palisades Fire begins this week with jury selection.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, pleaded not guilty to starting the Lachman Fire, which began Jan. 1, 2025 and became the Palisades Fire — one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires on record in California. The fire was suppressed, but continued to smolder deep in root systems before flaring up on Jan. 7, when a historic Santa Ana windstorm whipped up flames and embers that swept through neighborhoods in the community overlooking the Los Angeles County coast.
Twelve people were killed and thousands of homes were destroyed in hillside neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and other areas.
Rinderknecht, a former rider-share driver, faces at least five years in prison if convicted of charges that also include malicious destruction by means of a fire.
Lead defense attorney Steve Haney has said Rinderknecht is being made as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s failure to fully extinguish the Jan. 1 Lachman Fire. Jury selection is expected to last several days before opening statements begin midweek. The trial is likely to take about two weeks.
More than a year after the fire, construction vehicles and workers remain part of daily life in the community, where residents continue to grappling with insurance claims and the rebuilding process. The fire also has been a theme in this year’s Los Angeles mayoral primary election, pitting incumbent Karen Bass against Councilmember Nithya Raman and former “The Hills” reality TV star Spencer Pratt.
Judge Anne Hwang has ruled that the defense can’t introduce evidence or arguments about alleged negligence by the fire department, saying it was irrelevant and could confuse the jury. Defense attorneys had planned to include testimony from a firefighter that the earlier fire was visibly smoldering when first responders left the scene. That was gathered as part of a civil lawsuit filed by fire victims against the city.
Defense attorney Steven Haney said he also plans to argue that the government lacks solid evidence or witness testimony linking Rinderknecht to the first fire, and that first responders heard fireworks in the vicinity of where the blaze started.
Prosecutors say geolocation data from Rinderknecht’s phone shows that he was in the area of the fire as it rapidly grew, and investigators later seized a Bic barbecue lighter from his car that he admitted to having with him on the trail. They will claim he was upset about a failed relationship as well as thwarted plans for New Year’s Eve, and that he ranted to his Uber passengers that evening about being angry at the world, according to an April 29 pretrial memo filed by the U.S. attorney’s office.