Jonathan Rinderknecht faces second federal trial as jury selection starts

Jonathan Rinderknecht stands accused of intentionally starting a fire on a hiking trail in the Palisades Highlands neighborhood on New Year's Day 2025. Federal prosecutors allege he ignited the blaze around midnight out of frustration with his social standing and specific anger toward wealthy residents. Jury selection for his re-trial begins Monday morning.

The initial trial concluded in June with a deadlocked jury. At that time, the court treated the Lachman Fire and the larger Palisades Fire as a single event. Jurors voted 10 to 2 in favor of acquitting Rinderknecht, leading to the current re-trial. He has remained in federal custody without bail since the original arrest.

The new indictment changes how the two fires are legally defined. It separates the arson allegation for the Lachman Fire, which started on January 1, from the Palisades Fire that followed. The revised counts drop one of the three original charges and adjust the remaining two. This distinction addresses the defense argument that evidence was insufficient to prove the initial fire was arson or that smoldering embers reignited in the winds.

Authorities state that the Lachman Fire expanded into the massive Palisades Fire six days after the initial ignition. Powerful Santa Ana winds swept into Southern California on January 7, 2025, driving the growth of the blaze. The resulting Palisades Fire burned 23,400 acres, killed 12 people, and destroyed more than 6,800 structures along the Los Angeles County coast.

Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty to the revised charges. His defense team maintains that the evidence does not conclusively show he started the fire or that it rekindled in the severe winds. The court will now select a new jury to hear the case based on the modified legal framework.