Second Trial Set to Begin for Man Accused of Starting Palisades Fire

The second trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting the deadly Palisades fire in Los Angeles, is set to begin on November 2, 2026, according to NPR.

The first trial ended in a mistrial in June. The Los Angeles Times reported that jurors had deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of acquittal. A mistrial is declared when a jury cannot reach a verdict.

Prosecutors said they would retry Rinderknecht after the June mistrial, according to the same Los Angeles Times report.

The case is a federal arson case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the federal prosecutors' office for a federal court district that covers seven Southern California counties including Los Angeles, is handling it. An indictment described on the office's case page alleges that Rinderknecht maliciously started a fire near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles early in the morning.

Rinderknecht's defense has sought to have some evidence blocked from the second trial, including text messages, according to NBC Los Angeles.