Judge declares mistrial in case against man accused of sparking deadly California fire

A judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a man accused of starting the deadliest wildfire in Los Angeles history.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, is accused of deliberately igniting a blaze in January 2025 that grew into the Pacific Palisades fire, killing 12 people and destroying more than 6,000 buildings.

Jurors told the court on Thursday that they were unable to reach a unanimous decision in the case after two days of deliberations, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial.

Prosecutors said they intended to retry the case.

On Friday, one of the attorneys for Rinderknecht said the mistrial was a "pretty resounding indication of what the jury felt about this case" and that they were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, US media reported.

Rinderknecht, who once lived in the affluent coastal community, was arrested in October and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted.

"The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire," US attorney Bill Essayli said in a post on social media after the mistrial.

Prosecutors accused Rinderknecht of lighting a small brush fire on New Year's Eve 2025, which became known as the Lachman fire.

The fire was one of several that ignited back-to-back across the LA region in January, which in total left 31 people dead and destroyed 16,000 structures.

Fire officials believed they had extinguished the Lachman fire, but it smouldered underground for six days before extreme Santa Ana Winds rekindled its embers near a hiking trail that overlooks the wealthy coastal neighbourhood.

Rinderknecht - a dual French and US citizen and former Uber driver - was charged with destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire.

Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht was driven by revenge, anger and loneliness because he had nowhere to go for the holiday.

They cited geolocation data from his iPhone, security camera footage that showed his car's location and witness testimony from passengers.

Evidence allegedly recovered from Rinderknecht's digital devices included an image generated using ChatGPT depicting a city on fire.

Prosecutors argued the accused used ChatGPT like a diary, chronicling his fascination with fire before travelling to the area and lighting the blaze.

They alleged that Rinderknecht had a "deeply entrenched belief that the wealthy were destroying the world" and in turn purposely started the blaze in the affluent neighbourhood.

Defence attorney Steve Haney argued that Rinderknecht did not start the blaze and had reported the fire to authorities when he saw it break out.