Former NBA player Chris Bosh has been pulled into the Palisades fire arson trial after it’s been alleged that evidence of a firework potentially connected to the fatal blaze was found on the property of his $11 million Los Angeles mansion.
Defense Claims Evidence Was Discovered at Bosh’s Home
While a man named Jonathan Rinderknecht is currently “being retried on charges he sparked the Jan. 1, 2025, Lachman Fire by igniting vegetation with a lighter,” his defense team is “den[ying] the allegations, pointing to witness accounts of fireworks in the area as a possible cause,” the New York Post reported on Thursday, Nov. 12. “Investigators believe the Lachman Fire smoldered underground for six days before reigniting as the deadly Palisades Fire.”
The defense is hoping to have testimony submitted from retired Cal Fire investigator Michael T. Cole. According to court documents from Rinderknecht’s attorney, Steve Haney, obtained by the California Post (via the New York Post), “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.”
People points out that the Post obtained an additional filing revealing that prosecutors involved in the trial want Cole removed as a witness due to his inexperience with identifying damage left by fireworks, and the fact that his examination of the “dark marks” found on Bosh’s driveway was done “through six photos that were taken by a drone a month after the fire started.”
As for Bosh, he “has not been accused of starting the fire or charged with any crime,” per People.
Bosh and His Wife Have Addressed the Situation
Following the claim that a firework was set off and/or burned on the property of Bosh’s home in Los Angeles, he released a statement with his wife, Adrienne, on social media on Friday, Nov. 13, writing, “We were not in Pacific Palisades on New Year’s Eve 2024 or New Year’s Day 2025. We were at our residence in Austin, Texas. To our knowledge, our Pacific Palisades property was unoccupied and was not being rented or used by guests during that time.”
“We have assisted the appropriate authorities by providing security footage in our possession and relevant information available to us,” the couple’s statement continued. “We recognize the seriousness of this tragic event and have supported the authorities in their efforts to establish the facts.”
Bosh started his NBA career in 2003 with the Toronto Raptors before moving to the Miami Heat in 2010 and staying with the team until his retirement in 2019 after playing his final game in 2016. In 2021, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The basketball star currently lives in his Los Angeles home with his wife and five children.
NBA Star Chris Bosh’s $11 Million Mansion at Center of New Twist in Palisades Arson Trial