Palisades Fire Jury Stalls After 2 Days, Raising Mistrial Risk

Q: After a deadlocked jury, will the man accused of starting the devastating Palisades Fire face a new trial?

Not yet. A deadlocked jury does not automatically mean Jonathan Rinderknecht will face a new trial immediately. In his federal arson case, jurors told Judge Anne Hwang they were at a standstill after deliberations and unwilling to change their views. That typically puts the case on a path toward a hung jury and possible mistrial, but the judge can still require more deliberations or give additional instructions before ending the trial. The key next step is whether the judge formally declares a mistrial. If that happens, prosecutors would then decide whether to retry Rinderknecht on the same three arson counts. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has indicated the legal process is continuing, but there has been no confirmed final ruling in the material provided that a mistrial has already been declared or that a retrial has been scheduled. So, based on the available reporting, the most accurate answer is that he is not yet definitively headed to a new trial. He could face one if the judge declares a mistrial and federal prosecutors choose to try the case again. Rinderknecht is accused of setting the smaller Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve 2024, which prosecutors say smoldered underground and later became the Palisades Fire. His defense argues the evidence is circumstantial and that fireworks, not arson, may have caused the initial blaze.

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 26

Jurors in Jonathan Rinderknecht’s federal arson trial ended a second day of deliberations without a verdict, telling the court they were split with members on both sides “dead set” and “unwavering.”
Friday’s recess came after both prosecutors and defense lawyers said they needed more time to research a response; the judge told jurors the court would address the note when they return at 9 a.m. PT.
A hung jury could trigger a mistrial in the case against the 30-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty to three federal fire-related charges tied to the 2025 Palisades Fire.
Prosecutors say he set the initial Lachman Fire on New Year’s Day 2025 and that it later flared into the blaze that killed 12 people, while the defense says no one saw him ignite it and points to fireworks as the likely cause.