Trial to get underway for man accused of starting devastating Palisades Fire

(LOS ANGELES) -- The federal trial for a man accused of starting a fire that eventually became the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles last year is set to begin.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of "maliciously" starting a fire that six days later developed into what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.

Rinderknecht, a former Los Angeles resident living in Florida, was arrested nine months after the Palisades Fire leveled neighborhoods in Los Angeles County and left 12 people dead.

He was indicted on three counts -- destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire. He pleaded not guilty and faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.

Federal prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht, who was working as an Uber driver at the time, ignited a brush fire that became known as the Lachman Fire on Jan. 1, 2025.

Despite being suppressed by fire crews, prosecutors allege that the fire continued to smolder until it surfaced again nearly a week later amid high winds in the Los Angeles area, eventually becoming the Palisades Fire.

In a criminal complaint, authorities allege Rinderknecht caused the initial fire by lighting a combustible material, such as vegetation or paper, with an open flame, likely a lighter.

The complaint included an image Rinderknecht allegedly generated in July 2024 using ChatGPT, showing in part "a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it."

"You could see some of his thought process in the months leading up, where he was generating some really concerning images up on ChatGPT, which appears to show a dystopian city being burned down," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference following Rinderknecht's arrest in October 2025.

In a court filing last month, the defense stated that Rinderknecht "denies he willfully and maliciously set" the Lachman Fire "and therefore cannot be responsible for either the Lachman or the Palisades Fire, or the resulting damages." The defense attorney, Steven Haney, also questioned the government's "holdover theory," which posits that the Palisades Fire was caused by the Lachman Fire, and argued that the fires were two distinct events.

The trial is estimated to last seven to 11 days.

The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, decimating the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to California fire officials.

It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.

The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, helped their ability to spread quickly.

Investigators pursued more than 200 leads, conducted hundreds of interviews and collected more than 13,000 pieces of evidence, including fire debris, digital data and DNA samples, as part of the probe into the cause of the Palisades Fire, according to Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Los Angeles Field Division.

"We have a lot of different data that all concluded where this fire started, and the fire behavior from that origin, from that Lachman Fire, was clearly established in the Palisades Fire," Cooper said at a press briefing last year.

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