Trial begins for man accused of starting deadly 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles
Defence attorney says prosecutors lack proof Rinderknecht started the catastrophic blaze
Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of deliberately starting the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, wanted "revenge on society" after being left off a New Year's Eve party guest list and rowing with a romantic interest over text, prosecutors have alleged as his trial got underway.
Rinderknecht faces charges of destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire in federal court, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California previously confirmed. He has denied all charges.
NBC News reported that prosecutors, during the trial now underway in Los Angeles, alleged Rinderknecht was upset after not receiving an invitation to a New Year's Eve party and had argued with a romantic interest via text message that evening.
Calls to ex-boyfriend before the fire
Before the blaze broke out, Rinderknecht reportedly called his ex-boyfriend multiple times. He then hiked to a familiar trailhead in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles — the location where the fire is alleged to have started on 1 January 2025.
The fire went on to burn more than 20,000 acres, caused several deaths, and resulted in billions of dollars in property damage across the area.
'Revenge on society'
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht's frustration at being alone on New Year's Eve drove him to act. "He wanted revenge on society because he blamed society for all his troubles," Mercury News reported prosecutors as saying.
Rinderknecht had been working as an Uber driver on the night in question. Prosecutors claimed that passengers who travelled with him later told police he was "angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting about being 'pissed off at the world' and Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilantism."
Defence: no proof client started the fire
Rinderknecht's attorney, Steve Haney, pushed back firmly against the prosecution's case during his opening remarks. "After this trial, there will be one thing missing — proof that Jonathan Rinderknecht started these fires," Haney said in court, as reported by NBC News.
