A judge declares a mistrial in the case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, accused of starting the Palisades fire after jurors deadlocked 10-2.
Defense team tries to tie NBA champion Chris Bosh to Palisades arsonist case, citing firework evidence: report
by Ryan Canfield · Fox NewsNBA legend Chris Bosh has been drawn into the Palisades arson case.
The defense team for Jonathan Rinderknecht is seeking testimony about a firework that allegedly launched from Bosh's property on Jan. 1, 2025, the night the Lachman Fire ignited. Rinderknecht is being retried on charges that he sparked the devastating fires, and his defense denies the allegation, citing witness accounts of fireworks as a possible cause.
His defense team is seeking to introduce testimony from Michael T. Cole, a retired California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) investigator who spent 18 years in the agency’s arson unit, according to court documents obtained by the California Post. Prosecutors are seeking to disqualify Cole as a witness in a separate filing, according to the report.
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"Mr. Cole is expected to testify that during his 2025 investigation of the Palisades Fire he observed and documented a mark and an associated burn and smoke trail on the driveway and rear patio area of the residence at (redacted), and that, based on his training and experience, those marks are physical evidence of a launched firework," the filing from Rinderknecht’s attorney, Steve Haney, said, according to the California Post.
The residence mentioned in the court filings belongs to Bosh, who was renting out the property when the fire broke out, according to the report.
OutKick contacted Bosh’s representatives but did not immediately receive a response.
Prosecutors, who are seeking to disqualify Cole as a witness, said his testimony is based on drone photographs and argued that he has "zero qualifications, training, or experience" to link the brownish marks found in Bosh’s driveway a month after the fire to fireworks.
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"His entire ‘expert’ opinion is based on six drone photographs of a brown stain on the driveway taken in either February 2025 or 2026. No up-close in-person inspection, no other testing. Six drone photographs, that’s it," prosecutors said in court documents obtained by the California Post.
Rinderknecht has remained in federal custody since being arrested on charges of starting the deadly blaze on Oct. 7, 2025. Investigators allegedly found a lighter in his vehicle during a search on Jan. 24, 2025.
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His first trial in June was declared a mistrial, and prosecutors are seeking a conviction in the retrial.
Bosh played in the NBA for 13 seasons and is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He won two NBA championships with the Miami Heat alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, as the three formed "The Big Three." He was an 11-time All-Star and was forced to retire at age 34 because of blood clots .
Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.