On Thursday, jurors involved in the federal trial of a man accused of igniting the catastrophic 2025 Palisades Fire in California informed a judge that they were deadlocked. This revelation emerged shortly after they initially reported reaching a decision.
This announcement occurred during the second day of jury deliberations for the case against 30-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht. The trial, which extended over 10 days, focused on a blaze that has been recorded as the most devastating in the history of Los Angeles County, resulting in the loss of at least twelve lives.
Initially, a note from the jury’s foreman expressed that they had delivered a verdict. However, moments later, a subsequent note contradicted this by indicating a lack of consensus.
The contents of the note highlighted the jury’s impasse: “We have individuals firmly entrenched on both sides. Resolute. We are at an impasse and uncertain of the next steps,” it conveyed.
A firefighter can be seen battling flames from the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles, on January 11, 2025. To the right, Jonathan Rinderknecht, the accused in the case, is depicted. On Thursday, jurors at his federal trial communicated to the judge their continued deadlock. (Jae C. Hong/AP; Department of Justice/Reuters)
In response, the judge asked the jury what the court could do to assist them.
“For example, would an additional instruction or the re-reading of any testimony help the jury in their deliberations?” the judge asked.
“There is nothing the court can do to assist the jury in their deliberations. Additional instructions or rereading the testimony would not help in deliberations. Unfortunately, we cannot reach a unanimous verdict,” the jury replied.
Both the prosecution and defense agreed they needed more time to research legal options after the jury’s latest update. The judge eventually instructed the jurors to return and resume deliberations at 9 a.m. Friday.
An aerial view shows the fire damage caused by the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2025. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
A deadlocked jury could ultimately result in the judge declaring a mistrial. Federal prosecutors would then have to decide whether to re-try Rinderknecht, who is charged with destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire. He has pleaded not guilty.
Federal prosecutors maintain that Rinderknecht was driven by anger, loneliness, and a thirst for revenge against the wealthy when he allegedly started what would become the Palisades Fire.
Fire personnel respond to homes destroyed while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images)
The fire originally started shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025, in a remote, brush-heavy area in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. That initial blaze was dubbed the Lachman Fire.
Firefighters responded to the scene on New Year’s Day and believed they had successfully extinguished the blaze. However, investigators later determined that the fire never fully went out and instead continued to smolder underground.
On Jan. 7, 2025, powerful Santa Ana winds fanned the underground embers and caused the fire to resurface above ground. Driven by the strong winds and severe drought, the blaze exploded into the Palisades Fire, eventually burning over 23,000 acres and destroying roughly 6,800 structures, many of them homes.
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns homes near Pacific Coast Highway during a windstorm in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
Assistant U.S. Attorney Danbee Kim told jurors during closing arguments on Tuesday that the affluent Palisades area represented a wealth disparity across the country to Rinderknecht, noting that the defendant “had a deeply entrenched belief that the wealthy were destroying the world.”
Defense attorney Steven Haney argued that no physical evidence linked Rinderknecht to the destruction and contended that the Lachman and Palisades fires were entirely separate events that had nothing to do with his client, FOX Los Angeles reported.