The situation surrounding Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of igniting the catastrophic Palisades fire that resulted in 12 fatalities and obliterated over 6,800 structures in 2025, reached a disheartening end on Friday.
Rinderknecht, a 30-year-old ex-Uber driver, filed three federal lawsuits related to charges including destruction of property by fire, arson impacting interstate commerce, and arson of timber. Although he faced allegations of “maliciously” causing damage to buildings and land, the court ultimately declared a mistrial.
“We plan to present this case again to a different jury and secure a guilty verdict for all accusations,” a representative shared.
Rinderknecht is facing a possible sentence of 45 years in prison, having pleaded not guilty back in October.
Prosecutors noted that several of Rinderknecht’s Uber riders described him as “angry, violent, erratic, and abusive,” mentioning that he expressed feeling “angry at the world.” He also allegedly made comments linking his feelings to Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilantism.
When queried about the fire’s instigation, Rinderknecht speculated, “Maybe it was out of a grudge against wealthy individuals,” according to the prosecution.
A memo sent to U.S. District Judge Anne Huang indicated that after lengthy deliberations, the jury was deadlocked, with some jurors stating they were “stuck” after a final vote of 10-2 in favor of an acquittal.
Federal prosecutors chose to pursue a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision on any of the charges.
“The court recognized a clear necessity for this mistrial due to the jury’s deadlock,” Huang explained.
“The 10-2 vote really illustrates the jury’s sentiments about the case. We believed that from the start,” commented Rinderknecht’s defense attorney, Steve Haney.
Shortly following the announcement of the mistrial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Esseri from the Central District of California expressed intentions to retry the case.
“There is compelling evidence linking Jonathan Rinderknecht to the fire that evolved into the Palisades Fire on January 1, 2025. Our objective is to retry this case with a new jury and achieve a guilty verdict across all charges,” Esseri stated.
