LOS ANGELES — The legal battle over the 2025 Palisades Fire has taken an unexpected turn involving NBA star Chris Bosh, as defense attorneys for accused arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht seek to introduce testimony suggesting a firework launched from a mansion tied to the former Miami Heat player may have ignited the devastating blaze.
According to court documents obtained by the California Post, Rinderknecht's lawyer is requesting that retired Cal Fire investigator Michael T. Cole be allowed to testify about evidence he allegedly documented during his 2025 investigation. The filing states that Cole observed a mark with an associated burn and smoke trail on the driveway and rear patio area of a residence, and that he concluded based on his training and experience that the marks constitute physical evidence of a launched firework.
The residence in question is reportedly one that Bosh was renting out at the time the fires began, according to The Post. The filing redacts the specific address.
Prosecutors pushed back forcefully in their own court filing, arguing that Cole lacks any qualifications, training, or experience to offer such an opinion. They characterized his entire expert assessment as resting on six drone photographs of a brown stain on the driveway, taken in either February 2025 or 2026, with no up-close in-person inspection and no other testing performed.
The defense strategy for the re-trial hinges on the argument that fireworks possibly caused the devastating blaze rather than Rinderknecht. Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht sparked the fire by using his lighter to set vegetation ablaze, allegations he denies.
The case remains under close scrutiny as both sides prepare for the re-trial, with the dispute over Cole's proposed testimony highlighting the competing theories about the fire's origin.
About the Author
Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
