Palisades Fire arson trial opens with lighter experiment video shown to jury
Defense attorneys in the second federal trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht presented video footage showing a lighter failing to ignite brush.
FTMQ News, written by our newsroom0 views
Opening statements began on Wednesday in the second federal trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of starting the deadly Palisades Fire. According to the New York Post, the 30-year-old suspect faces trial after prosecutors alleged he sparked the blaze. [1]
Defense attorney Steve Haney showed jurors a video lasting nearly one minute during opening statements, the New York Post reported. The footage showed an experiment using a green barbecue lighter similar to one recovered from Rinderknecht's car. In the test, the lighter failed three times to ignite dead vegetation placed in a foil oven pan, which had been collected from Pacific Palisades. [1]
As FTMQ News reported earlier, the Palisades Fire struck in January 2025. The deadly wildfire killed 12 people and destroyed 6,837 structures. [5]
In short
- Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, faces his second federal arson trial for the Palisades Fire.
- Defense attorney Steve Haney showed jurors a video testing a lighter similar to one found in Rinderknecht's car.
- The tested lighter failed three times to ignite brush gathered from Pacific Palisades.
Sources
Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.
- [1]Video of lighter test revealed in court at federal arson trial of accused Palisades fire starterNew York Post, 1h ago (the report this story comes from)
Background
- [2]Video on Wikipedia
- [3]Empire State Building on Wikipedia
- [4]Santa Clarita man charged with federal arson over Bouquet Fire FTMQ News, 25d ago
- [5]Karen Bass refuses sworn deposition in former fire chief defamation lawsuit FTMQ News, 22d ago
Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 5 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.
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