LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� A federal judge declared a mistrial Friday in the arson case against the man accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles after the jury said it could not agree on a verdict.
Ten of the jurors were set on a not-guilty verdict, while two others were determined to convict him on charges of arson, malicious destruction by means of a fire and timber set aflame.
鈥淭he court finds there is a manifest necessity to declare a mistrial because the jury is deadlocked,鈥� Judge Anne Hwang said.
Prosecutors asked to try again, and the judge ordered Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, to remain in custody pending a new trial to begin on Oct. 19.
Defense attorney Steve Haney said the vote count was a 鈥減retty resounding indication鈥� that his client is innocent.
But assistant U.S. attorney Bill Essayli said they 鈥渇ully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.鈥�
鈥淭he evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire,鈥� Essayli posted.
Rinderknecht to starting what became one of the in California history.
Juror No. 4, who identified herself as Syrena and wouldn’t share her last name, said she was one of the not-guilty votes.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just not enough proof,鈥� she said 鈥� and even if Rinderknecht did start the fire, she said he shouldn鈥檛 be responsible for the entire outcome.
鈥淪houldn鈥檛 the firemen, shouldn鈥檛 they have known?鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople were up there hiking and said that they saw smoldering.鈥�
Prosecutors say Rinderknecht started a fire on Jan. 1, 2025, that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up Jan. 7. The Palisades Fire ultimately killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes as it incinerated hillside neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and the city of Malibu. Rebuilding has moved slowly in the Pacific Palisades 鈥� only 17 homes have been certified for occupancy.
His trial began June 8 and featured eight days of lengthy testimony from investigators, experts and witnesses from surrounding areas. Jurors deliberated for 13 hours over the course of two days before concluding that they could not produce a unanimous verdict.
Digital records revealed Rinderknecht鈥檚 state of mind
Using security camera footage, prosecutors established that the fire is believed to have started at the Hidden Buddha clearing, a spot in the mountainside that can be reached by a neighborhood trail.
Rinderknecht, who was driving for Uber that evening, dropped off his last passenger in the same neighborhood, shortly before midnight.
Rinderknecht called 911 more than a dozen times that night, and the phone鈥檚 geolocation data showed he was at the clearing and walked down the trail as he reported the fire. Prosecutors said Rinderknecht admitted that he did not see or hear anyone else there.
Prosecutors introduced several witnesses to establish his motive and state of mind on New Year’s Eve 2024. They brought into evidence a multitude of digital records obtained from his phone, email, Uber, OpenAI and various social media accounts. Investigators reviewed thousands of conversations between Rinderknecht and ChatGPT, which he used multiple times a week as a personal diary.
鈥淲hy am I so angry all the time?鈥� he said in one exchange.
He vented his anger over wealth inequality
Rinderknecht lamented wealth disparity and climate change and his inability to do anything about it.
Rinderknecht also made searches about Luigi Mangione, who is charged with the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and on Reddit searched 鈥渓ets kill all the billionaires.鈥� He looked up the address of DoorDash CEO Tony Xu, including if he had children or surveillance cameras at his home.
He also shared his relationship struggles, including his rejection by a woman. He contacted that same woman earlier that night to ask if she had any New Year鈥檚 Eve plans. When she turned him down, he sent her angry and vile messages from another phone.
When firefighters responded to the blaze, Rinderknecht followed them and took videos of the fire as they battled it. While at the fire, he also asked ChatGPT if someone would be responsible for a fire accidentally started by a cigarette.
Rinderknecht screen-recorded both the 911 calls and his ChatGPT prompt, which prosecutors presented as evidence that he was trying to mislead investigators.
On Jan. 6, a day before powerful Santa Ana winds rekindled smoldering roots into a conflagration, he recorded a selfie video where he stated he was having a mental breakdown.
He talked with an agent for hours 鈥� words used against him
Prosecutors also referenced a recorded interview Rinderknecht gave the in late January, before he was a suspect. ATF agent Matthew Beals spoke with him for roughly 8 hours, at one point driving together to the site of the fire so that Rinderknecht could physically identify his movements on the hill during the window of time when the fire started.
Rinderknecht鈥檚 account was in conflict with his phone鈥檚 geolocation data and the timing of his 911 calls, Beals testified.
Beals also said Rinderknecht became 鈥渁gitated鈥� when he asked about the fire鈥檚 details, at one point accusing him of interrogating him as a suspect, and repeatedly voiced dismay about the state of political affairs in response to the questions.
Specifically, Rinderknecht was recorded speculating that someone might hypothetically start a fire in the Palisades out of frustration about inequality, the agent said.
鈥淚f people are specifically targeting this area, I鈥檓 thinking it鈥檚 probably because they鈥檙e like, 鈥淥h, do people think they can have their own little road up here in paradise and just, you know, be here with their money while we鈥檙e basically being slaves for them?鈥� Rinderknecht said.
Arson behavioral expert Kevin Kelm testified that all of Rinderknecht鈥檚 behavior was consistent with that of a 鈥渞evenge, or societal revenge motivated鈥� arsonist.
His defense sought to blame fireworks
Rinderknecht鈥檚 defense focused on showing jurors that fireworks could not be ruled out, and in fact were the most likely cause of the fire.
One firefighter testified they heard fireworks in the area shortly before and after midnight New Year鈥檚 Eve.
Haney called to the stand two Pacific Palisades residents and a security guard for the neighborhood. All three said they either saw flashes of light or heard fireworks, and two of them saw a group of teenagers running down the trail afterward.
Two expert witnesses cast doubt on the federal investigation. Among other things, the scene of the Jan. 1 fire was unsecured for 13 days and could have been compromised in that time, the defense said. The experts also testified that fireworks were the most likely cause.
Former LA fire investigator Ed Nordskog said he responded to dozens of fires each Fourth of July and New Year鈥檚 Eve, most started by fireworks. He accused government investigators of being influenced by confirmation bias as they pursued Rinderknecht.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e choosing to look at information in a very sinister way when they should be a little more open about it,鈥� he said.
When looking through Rinderknecht鈥檚 digital footprint, investigators never found any searches about arson, the best way to start a fire, or purchases of any fire-starting materials, Haney pointed out. While they found his DNA on a barbecue lighter in his car, they couldn鈥檛 prove a lighter sparked the blaze 鈥� only that it began with an 鈥渙pen flame,鈥� he said.
The lack of Verizon cell phone data made it difficult for Juror No. 4 to believe the assertion that Rinderknecht was initially alone at the scene. As for his ChatGPT history, she said he was 鈥渏ust being human鈥� and that talks with ChatGPT frequently as well.
鈥淚t made me angry that they were putting his character down,鈥� she said.
鈥�
Associated Press reporter Safiyah Riddle contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
