Young man with long hair and beard wearing a black hoodie, standing against a light-colored wall.

Young man with long hair and beard wearing a black hoodie, standing against a light-colored wall.
Jonathan Rinderknecht arrested for intentionally starting Pacific Palisades fire

A mistrial was declared in the Pacific Palisades arson case after a jury deadlocked.

Prosecutors said they will retry the case.

Last October, federal prosecutors announced that 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of Orlando, Florida, was arrested for intentionally setting the Palisades fire.

Rinderknecht was an Uber driver at the time he intentionally set the fire.

Federal prosecutors said Rinderknecht intentionally set the fire in January 2025 which left 12 people dead and caused more than $150 billion in damage.

On Friday, a judge declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

“The split wasn’t close: 10 jurors voted to acquit Jonathan Rinderknecht, while two voted to convict,” Fox News reported.

NBC News reported:

After two days of deliberations, a federal judge declared a mistrial in the case concerning the origin of the devastating January 2025 fires in Los Angeles.

On Thursday afternoon, jurors were told to return to deliberate Friday after they sent a note to U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang stating that nothing could be done to reach a unanimous verdict on all of the counts against Jonathan Rinderknecht.

The 30-year-old former Uber driver faces three federal charges of destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire for the January 2025 Palisades Fire.

The note said that jurors on both sides “are unwilling to change their opinion” and that they are “at a standstill,” unsure of how to proceed.

The post BREAKING: Mistrial Declared in Pacific Palisades Arson Case After Jury Deadlocks appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.