MELBOURNE, Fla. — A mistrial was declared on Friday after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict in the federal arson trial of a Central Florida man.
He is accused of setting the fire believed to have caused the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, as reported by the Associated Press.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, who previously lived in Melbourne, was charged with arson, malicious destruction by fire, and setting timber ablaze. Federal prosecutors alleged he intentionally set a small brush fire on New Year’s Day 2025 that smoldered for days before reigniting on Jan. 7 as the Palisades Fire.
The blaze resulted in 12 fatalities, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and ranks among California’s most destructive wildfires.
During the trial, prosecutors argued witness testimony, surveillance video, cellphone data, and fire analysis tied Rinderknecht to the initial fire, alleging he acted out of “societal revenge.”
Defense attorneys argued that the government’s case was purely circumstantial, emphasizing the lack of direct physical evidence connecting Rinderknecht to the fire. They also suggested that discarded fireworks were a more probable cause of the blaze.
After about two days of deliberations, jurors informed the judge they were hopelessly deadlocked. According to the AP, jurors said they were “dead set” on both sides and could not reach a unanimous agreement on any of the three counts.
It is now up to federal prosecutors to decide whether they will retry the case.
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