A mistrial was declared in the Pacific Palisades arson case after a jury deadlocked.
“The split wasn’t close: 10 jurors voted to acquit Jonathan Rinderknecht, while two voted to convict,” Fox News uncovered.
Last October, federal prosecutors revealed that 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of Orlando, Florida, was taken into custody for intentionally setting the Palisades fire.
Rinderknecht was an Uber driver at the time he intentionally set the fire.
Federal prosecutors noted 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.
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 noted that jurors on both sides “are unwilling to change their opinion” and that they are “at a standstill,” unsure of how to proceed.
