A federal magistrate judge denied bail again Tuesday for the man accused by federal prosecutors of causing the Palisades fire in January, ruling that Jonathan Rinderknecht could pose a danger to the community and remained a flight risk.
“We knew it was an uphill battle, with the publicity and the strong feelings people already have about Jonathan,” defense attorney Steve Haney said outside court.
“I respect the judge’s decision I think she made a very careful, measured decision, and we’re disappointed but not entirely surprised by the ruling,” he said.
The US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles declined to comment.
Rinderknecht, 29, pleaded not guilty last month to 3 federal arson charges that accuse him of igniting the January 1 “Lachman” fire in the Palisades Highlands.
Trial is scheduled for April, 2026.
Rinderknecht was previously denied bail at an initial hearing following his arrest in Florida in October.
The ATF says its investigation concluded that days after the Lachman fire appeared extinguished, intense winds rekindled embers still smoldering underground and caused the Palisades fire, making Rinderknecht responsible for both.
“They got a major, major hurdle to cross just to prove he had anything to do with the Lachman fire to begin with,” Haney said of the prosecution’s theory, and said he had already found witnesses and potential evidence that he believed contradicted some of the key elements in the case against his client.
Federal prosecutors opposed the possibility of a pretrial release on bail in court papers filed earlier this week, and said Rinderknecht had considered leaving the US before his arrest.
In court Tuesday Rinderknecht’s father Joel, who lives in France, testified that would be impossible, because his son’s US passport expired in 2023 and he never obtained a French passport.
Joel Rinderknecht also said federal agents had mischaracterized 2 disputes that led to police calls at his daughter’s home in Florida, where Jonathan Rinderknecht was staying when he was arrested in October.
He told the judge he and his family now believes his son is innocent of the arson charges.
“Everybody in the family is very upset that he is being accused of this,” he said.
Source: NBC Los Angeles