Palisades fire suspect pleads not guilty to new charges

Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting a fire that grew into the Palisades fire in Los Angeles, pleaded not guilty on August 19 as prosecutors made a second attempt to try him.

Prosecutors brought new charges of destruction of property by means of fire and arson affecting property used in interstate commerce. Rinderknecht remains in federal custody, and his trial was set for November 2.

An earlier trial collapsed after a Los Angeles jury deadlocked on whether Rinderknecht was responsible for the Palisades fire, which hit the coastal enclave and nearby Malibu in January 2025.

Investigators say Rinderknecht, who was working as a rideshare driver, set a blaze on New Year's Eve and that firefighters believed they had put it out before it flared again a week later in strong winds. The renewed fire burned as the Eaton Fire was racing through another part of greater Los Angeles.

A total of 31 people died in the two fires, which destroyed thousands of homes and disrupted life across Los Angeles.

Rinderknecht's lawyers argued at the earlier trial that he called emergency services to report the initial fire. They said fireworks actually sparked the blaze and depicted him as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department's failure to extinguish the initial fire.