Federal prosecutors opened their case Monday against the man accused of igniting last year’s Palisades Fire, one of the deadliest and costliest wildfires in California history. The trial began in Los Angeles before U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, has pleaded not guilty to federal arson charges. Prosecutors allege he set a fire on Jan. 1, 2025, that burned undetected in root systems beneath the Palisades terrain before erupting again on Jan. 7. The resulting blaze killed 12 people and consumed thousands of homes across Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
Rinderknecht faces a minimum of five years in federal prison if convicted. He also faces a charge of malicious destruction of property by fire.
Opening statements are scheduled to begin midweek. The trial is projected to last approximately two weeks.
The defense is contesting both the evidence and the framing of the case. Lead defense attorney Steve Haney has argued that Rinderknecht is being used as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s failure to fully suppress the earlier blaze. Haney has said first responders at the scene on Jan. 1 heard fireworks in the vicinity of where the fire started, raising questions about whether his client actually started it.
Judge Hwang ruled before trial that the defense cannot introduce evidence or arguments about alleged LAFD negligence, finding the matter irrelevant and potentially confusing to jurors. That ruling blocked testimony from a firefighter, gathered during a related civil lawsuit by fire victims against the city, who reportedly observed the fire still visibly smoldering when crews departed the scene.
The trial opens as the Palisades neighborhoods continue a slow and difficult recovery. More than 450 construction projects have been approved in the fire zone, but as of this week, only 17 homes have been certified for occupancy. Residents have spent more than a year fighting insurance claims and waiting on building permits.
The case has become a running backdrop to the Los Angeles mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman are projected to advance to a November runoff after Monday’s primary results, with Bass drawing roughly 35 percent of the vote and Raman around 27 percent.
