RismadarVoice Reporters, June 26, 2026
A U.S. federal jury has failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting the January 2025 Palisades Fire that devastated parts of Los Angeles.
After two days of deliberations, jurors informed U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang on Thursday that they were deadlocked, saying members of the panel were unwilling to change their positions and had reached a standstill.
The judge instructed the jury to resume deliberations on Friday.
Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver, has pleaded not guilty to three federal charges, including arson, destruction of property by fire and setting timber ablaze. If convicted, he faces up to 45 years in prison.
Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht intentionally ignited the Lachman Fire on January 1, 2025, which they said continued to smoulder underground before erupting into the massive Palisades Fire six days later.
They relied on security footage, cellphone location data and online searches, including inquiries about whether cigarettes can start wildfires, to place him near the point of ignition.
The defence argued that the prosecution failed to produce physical evidence linking Rinderknecht to the fire, insisting the Lachman and Palisades fires were separate incidents. Defence counsel Steve Haney also suggested that fireworks may have started the initial blaze and accused authorities of making his client a scapegoat for broader failures in wildfire prevention.
The Palisades Fire destroyed about 6,800 homes, businesses and other structures, making it one of the largest and costliest wildfires in California’s history.
