A federal arson trial features a video demonstration where a lighter, allegedly used to start the 2025 Palisades Fire, failed to ignite brush. The experiment was shown to jurors on Wednesday during the opening statements of Jonathan Rinderknecht's second trial.
Rinderknecht, 30, is accused of using the green barbecue lighter to spark the Lachman Fire on New Year's Eve 2024, which later reignited as the Palisades Fire on January 7, 2025. The lighter was found in Rinderknecht's car more than three weeks after the fire began.
The video, created by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and presented by Rinderknecht's attorney, Steve Haney, depicts the lighter attempting to ignite dry vegetation in a foil pan. The flame briefly touched the brush in multiple spots but did not sustain combustion.
"Based on that video, that lighter does not have the ability to start the fire on January 1st," Haney told the California Post after the proceedings. He added that the defense plans to present a witness who will testify to hearing an explosion just before the fire started.
Prosecutors maintain that Rinderknecht's phone data places him as the only person in the area when the fire started. They also suggested he made 16 calls to 911 to establish an alibi, and presented a screen recording of him calling emergency services. Additionally, they pointed to a question Rinderknecht allegedly typed into his phone: "Are you at fault if a fire is lit because of your cigarettes?" Prosecutors argued this indicated an admission of guilt, despite an ATF test showing cigarettes did not start the fire.
The defense has proposed that fireworks were the cause of the New Year's blaze. Haney told the jury, "We all know what it's like on New Year's."
Rinderknecht's first trial resulted in a hung jury, with the vote split 10-2 for acquittal. The current trial is expected to last nearly two weeks, with Rinderknecht facing two counts of arson.