Fireworks Ignited Before Smaller Blaze Connected to Palisades Fire, According to Witness and Defense Attorney
Accusations Surrounding Palisades Fire Intensify Amid Witness Claims
A legal representative for Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man charged with starting the Lachman Fire, has raised concerns about testimonies from local residents, a firefighter, and a security guard who reported seeing fireworks near the fire’s origin. While these accounts could suggest an alternative cause for the blaze, federal authorities maintain that they are unrelated to the events leading to the fire.
Witness Ari Sallus reported hearing a loud bang and seeing a flash consistent with a firework as he walked through the Palisades Highlands on New Year’s Night in 2025. "The white flash bang that I saw behind me… it was close!" he recounted. Sallus, who has lived in the area for years, said he observed a small orange glow near Skull Rock trail shortly after the flash. "I like, made it out with my eye, oh that’s a fire!" he said, prompting him to call 911.
Sallus’ statements were included in a February 2025 interview with a Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) arson investigator, a matter now part of the ongoing investigation into the Palisades Fire. He felt compelled to speak out after authorities suggested no fireworks were present that night: "I saw a firework behind me. It was a white light and a loud bang, and I clearly witnessed that," he remarked.
The federal indictment against 30-year-old Rinderknecht alleges he ignited the brushfire using an open flame, not fireworks. He has pleaded not guilty to the arson charges. A complaint filed last fall stated that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) determined that fireworks had no connection to the fire’s origin.
In a recent court declaration, a special agent declared that witnesses—including Rinderknecht—reported no fireworks had been observed in the vicinity of the Palisades leading up to the fire. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli also dismissed the likelihood of fireworks being involved in the case, stating, "We have no evidence that any fireworks were set off in this area at the time the fire was ignited."
On Monday, Essayli’s office reiterated this stance, insisting there was no evidence supporting the fireworks claims. They noted that Rinderknecht’s own recorded statement, along with corroborated witness accounts, indicated the absence of fireworks in the area at the time of the blaze.
However, Rinderknecht’s defense attorney, Steve Haney, argued that there were numerous eyewitness accounts supporting the claim of fireworks. "Thirty witnesses heard fireworks going off in the immediate area," he asserted at a press conference. According to Haney, these witnesses include an LAFD captain and multiple residents who reported witnessing flashes and hearing sounds consistent with fireworks just before the fire began.
Haney also mentioned an incident involving a security guard who reportedly saw four individuals fleeing the hill shortly after the fire ignited. "I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t deduce that – that is how the fire started, by way of a firework," he stated.
Rinderknecht remains in custody without bail, with his trial scheduled for June. Furthermore, Haney has called for prosecutors to drop the charges altogether, citing statements from several LAFD firefighters involved in a civil lawsuit that suggested the Lachman Fire continued to smolder days after the initial flames were extinguished.
