Pennsylvania Governor’s house firebombed as family slept

Post Reply New Topic

Pennsylvania State Police say they are investigating an alleged arson at the governor’s residence overnight, which left the building with a “significant amount of damage.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a post on X that he and his family “woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg.”

He and his family were safely evacuated from the home by state police and no one was injured, he added.

“Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities,” he said. “Last night, they did so for our family – and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe.”

The governor had celebrated the first night of Passover earlier that evening, a post on X shows.

Pennsylvania State Police said that although the investigation is ongoing, they are “prepared to say at this time that this was an act of arson.”

The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire responded to the fire around 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, according to a news release from Pennsylvania State Police.

“While the fire was successfully extinguished, it caused a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence,” reads the release.

Police are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for the arrest and conviction of the person or people involved, according to the release.

One person is in custody in relation to the fire set at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence in Harrisburg early Sunday, officials said.

Cody Balmer, 38, was taken into custody and will be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person, Dauphin County Pennsylvania District Attorney Fran Chardo said at a news conference Sunday. Balmer may also face federal charges, Chardo added.

A motive was not clear, but officials believe it was a targeted attack, Shapiro said at the news conference.

He said he spoke to FBI Director Kash Patel Sunday afternoon, who offered federal government resources.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said officials are conducting an arson investigation, as well as an attempted homicide and aggravated arson investigation. Bivens added that he does not expect Balmer to be charged with conspiracy.

The alleged arsonist acted quickly, Bivens said, noting that he was inside the home for less than a minute and that the entire event happened over the course of "a number of minutes."

Authorities are investigating how long the man was on the property before he set the fire, Bivens added, saying they "have an idea" about the time frame.

Officials believe he had a plan, Bivens said, noting how quickly he was in and out of the residence and calling him "methodical in his approach."

Chardo, the DA, alleged that Balmer jumped over a fence to access the governor's home before forcibly entering the residence and setting the fire.

The break-in and setting of the fire happened while troopers were looking for the suspect, Bivens said.

The man "actively evaded troopers who were here to secure the residence, even while they were searching for him on the property," Bivens noted. A security review is underway, he said.

Balmer then exited the property the same way he entered, Bivens alleged — over the fence. He was taken into custody in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon.

Bivens said Balmer had homemade incendiary devices with him.

Balmer has faced criminal charges in Pennsylvania before, court records show. He pleaded guilty to forgery and theft in 2015 and again to forgery in 2016. He was also charged with assault in 2023 in a case that is still open.

The public defender representing Balmer in the assault case did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday evening. Attempts to reach the Dauphin County Public Defender's Office for comment Sunday evening were unsuccessful.

Shapiro thanked law enforcement, who he said at Sunday's news conference were at his residence in "seconds." Bivens also commended the Harrisburg Fire Department, who he said was "instrumental" in preventing loss of life in the fire.

Shapiro also called for an end to violence that he said is "becoming far too common in our society."

"I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another, or one particular person or another, it is not OK and it has to stop," Shapiro said.

Photos of the fire response showed smoke billowing out from one of the residence’s windows, blackening the exterior trim above the window with what appeared to be a layer of soot.

A narrow look inside the home through the window showed substantial damage to the interior. There was a piece of furniture by the window that appeared completely charred by the blaze.

The couple have four children together: Sophia, Jonah, Max and Reuben. Sophia and Jonah are legal adults, while Max and Rueben are minors.

It’s unclear whether either of Shapiro’s adult children were home. The governor said he was not going to discuss which of his family members were in the home at the time of the arson attack.

Shapiro offered Passover well-wishes just hours before the attack. Shapiro, who is Jewish, shared a photo of his Seder table on social media.

“From the Shapiro family’s Seder table to yours, happy Passover and Chag Pesach Sameach!” he wrote on X Saturday evening.

"No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly," Shapiro said in his comments later Sunday.

Beth Beene, who lives down the street from the residence, told NBC News that she heard fire trucks in the middle of the night but went back to bed. She couldn’t believe it when she learned news of the arson investigation at Shapiro’s home.

“I couldn’t believe how extensive the damage was,” Beene said. “I thought it was something that was caught, put out ... but I was shocked to see windows broken out.”

Shapiro and his wife are good neighbors, Beene said, noting that they always make time to chat while walking around the neighborhood. She said the incident was especially troubling given the timing of the Passover holiday.

The man charged in connection with an arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home over the weekend allegedly climbed the residence's fence, used a hammer to break a window and threw Molotov cocktails in to start the blaze, prosecutors revealed.

Cody A. Balmer, 38, was charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and other counts in connection with the early Sunday morning attack, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

The arson attack lasted for several minutes. Shapiro and first lady Lori Shapiro, as well as other guests and staff, were inside the Harrisburg residence when the fire erupted around 2 a.m. No one was injured in the fire, and the governor's family was safely evacuated. However, prosecutors said the residence sustained "substantial damage."

Balmer, of Harrisburg, turned himself into the Pennsylvania State Police on Sunday and admitted to "harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro."

When asked during a police interview what he would have done if Shapiro found him inside the residence, "he advised he would have beaten him with his hammer," the probable cause affidavit said.

The attack
Balmer was caught on security cameras both within and outside the residence, officials said. He was seen wearing a black "snap-on" jacket, black boots and carrying a bag.

Video surveillance footage showed the suspect climbing over an exterior fence of Shapiro's residence, approaching the piano room windows on the south side of the home and breaking an exterior window with a hammer, the criminal affidavit said. He then threw a Molotov cocktail inside through the broken glass. Shortly after, flames were seen in the interior of the home, the probable cause affidavit said.

Balmer then moved to an adjacent window, broke the glass and entered the home through the broken window, the affidavit said. Once inside, he deployed a second incendiary device in the dining room that spurred another fire.

The affidavit states that Balmer then moved toward the dining room exit. Surveillance footage showed him wearing two different colored gloves — one orange and one yellow. He was seen kicking the dining room door open and exiting the residence. He left the property in the same direction he entered, climbing back over the perimeter fence, running through a parking lot and then fleeing the residence in a southeast direction, the affidavit said.

Investigators found two broken glass beer bottles containing gasoline in the dining room of the residence.

Investigators also collected videos from privately owned security cameras and found that the suspect had fled east on Peffer Street. A sweep of Peffer Street led investigators to locate the gloves that matched the suspect’s in a trash can. The gloves had a “strong smell of gasoline emanating from them,” the criminal affidavit said.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, had shared Passover well-wishes online Saturday evening just hours before the attack.

He condemned the attack in a Sunday press conference, saying, "This kind of violence is not OK … I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another, or one particular person or another. It is not OK and it has to stop."

Turning himself in
Pennsylvania State Police in Harrisburg were contacted by a woman who said she was the ex-paramour of Balmer. She said Balmer confessed to the act and "wanted her to call police to turn him in," the affidavit said.

A short time later, Balmer approached a Pennsylvania State Police trooper at the department headquarters. He said he was "responsible" for the fire in the governor’s residence and "wished to turn himself in." He was transported to the Pennsylvania State Police office in Harrisburg, where he was interviewed, the affidavit said.

During the interview, he confessed his ill feelings toward Shapiro.

He told investigators that he removed gasoline from a lawn mower and poured it into beer bottles he found at his home, then walked for an hour to the governor’s residence with the intention of throwing the homemade Molotov cocktails into the home.

He admitted that he scaled the perimeter fence, broke two windows with a hammer and threw the Molotov cocktails inside. Balmer said after leaving the governor's residence, he returned to his own home and removed the clothes he wore during the attack, the affidavit said.

Troopers responded to his home and seized the "snap-on" jacket, a black bag and a small sledgehammer, "which were identical to those observed in the surveillance at the Governor’s residence," the affidavit said.

Balmer also told investigators that he was aware his actions would result in "negative consequences" and knew it was possible that Shapiro and others were home at the time and that they could have been harmed, according to the affidavit.

Balmer was transported to Dauphin County Prison for arraignment. According to his court docket, he is awaiting a preliminary hearing.

Pennsylvania state police said Monday that Balmer was transported to a hospital, and is receiving treatment "due to a medical event not connected to this incident or his arrest." It’s not clear what caused him to be hospitalized.

Suspect appeared to be critical of the government online
Balmer worked as a mechanic. Kindermans Auto Repair, an auto repair shop in Harrisburg, wrote on Facebook on Sunday that he was a former employee at the shop.

Balmer’s social media presence suggests he held staunch anti-government views. He often posted memes urging people to "become ungovernable" and reposted an artwork of a Molotov cocktail in 2022 with the slogan "Be the light you want to see in the world."

He posted negative content about then-President Joe Biden and seemed to reject Biden’s 2020 presidential win. He shared posts on Facebook criticizing Biden during his term, including a picture with the text "Joe Biden owes me 2 grand" and a post that said "Biden supporters shouldn’t exist."

He also shared a meme in 2020 that argued that both Democrats and Republicans "would rather argue with other than work to solve the problems we are facing." It's not clear what his political affiliation is.

President Donald Trump briefly spoke on the attack from the White House on Monday, where he said the suspect was "probably just a wack job."

"The attacker was not a fan of Trump. I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told, the attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody," Trump said. "Certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen."

Former President Joe Biden said on X Monday: "Jill and I are disgusted by the attack on the Shapiro family and their home during the first night of Passover. We are relieved that they are safe and grateful to the first responders. There is no place for this type of evil in America, and as I told the Governor yesterday, we must stand united against hatred and violence

Pennsylvania police say an arson at the governor’s residence forced Gov. Shapiro and his family to evacuate


Shapiro was a major contender to be Kamala Harris’s running mate. At the time there were allegations that he was not chosen because his being Jewish was considered too toxic.

Penbrook Police are releasing new details regarding Cody Allen Balmer’s mother, Christie, requesting an involuntary mental health evaluation for her son days before he allegedly set fire to Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence.

Police say Balmer’s mother contacted them on April 10, two days before the attack, due to Cody’s ‘irritable and agitated’ behavior, that he stopped taking his medication a year ago, and that he had suddenly left their house.

Christie told officers that days prior, on April 6, she called Crisis Intervention to report her concern, but because Balmer hadn’t made threats to himself or others, it did not meet the threshold for an involuntary mental health evaluation. Police say Christie noted the decision to call Crisis Intervention further infuriated Cody.

Police say they were led to a hotel in Shippensburg where Balmer had been staying. The front desk clerk at that hotel told officers that Balmer had checked out earlier in the day and “appeared fine,” per police.

Christie also told police that Cody had a history of disappearing to various states in the past and that another family member was not concerned about his well-being.

According to Penbrook Police, individuals may only be involuntarily committed when they are:

Presenting a clear and present danger to others
Unable to self-care
Attempting suicide or expressing suicidal or homicidal ideations
Self-mutilating