Photo: Marc Levy/AP
Early Sunday morning, a “targeted” arson attack forced Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro and his family to evacuate the governor’s residence in Harrisburg just hours after they had held Passover Seder at the home. Police have since arrested a 38-year-old suspect, Cody Balmer, who now faces multiple charges including attempted murder and terrorism. Below is what we know so far.
What happened?
Shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday morning, Governor Shapiro was awakened by a Pennsylvania state trooper pounding on the door of the governor’s residence, — which was on fire. Shapiro and his family members were able to evacuate unharmed.
According to police, the 38-year-old suspect, Cody Balmer, jumped the perimeter fence at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, evaded police, then briefly broke into the building and used homemade incendiary devices to set multiple fires. The suspected arsonist was eventually apprehended and arrested on Sunday.
New photos show firefighters responding to a fire that broke out at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg early Sunday morning. Gov. Josh Shapiro says he and his family were evacuated and are safe as officials continue to investigate the fire as arson. pic.twitter.com/V00lbe32XX
— CBS Philadelphia (@CBSPhiladelphia) April 13, 2025
Firefighters were able to gain control of the fires in less than half an hour, but not before they did a “significant amount of damage” to part of the building, per the State Police. The governor and his family members were sleeping in another part of the residence.
First look at the damage inside the Pennsylvania Governor’s mansion pic.twitter.com/Ijw7gmliMJ
— SeanKitchen.bsky.social (@pennslinger) April 13, 2025
The attack came just hours after Shapiro and his family had celebrated the beginning of Passover on Saturday night. It’s not yet clear what motivated the suspect, but the dining room which he set ablaze was where the governor had hosted the Seder:
From the Shapiro family’s Seder table to yours, happy Passover and Chag Pesach Sameach! pic.twitter.com/2II1Id1W23
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) April 12, 2025
And this is what it looked like after the fire:
Extensive fire damage inside Pennsylvania Governor’s residence after arson attack overnight, seen here in a series of photos provided by @GovernorShapiro officers. pic.twitter.com/06CxpY3d79
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) April 13, 2025
The Harrisburg residence is one of two homes where Shapiro, his wife, and their children split their time.
What has Shapiro said about the attack?
The governor, who is a rising star of the Democratic Party, was visibly shaken as he recounted what happened during a press conference in front of the governor’s mansion on Sunday afternoon. He called it “an attack, not just on our family, but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
“This type of violence is not okay,” Shapiro said, “I don’t give a damn if it’s from one particular side or another. It is not okay. And it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”
“If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community, who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me on this: we celebrated our faith last night, proudly and in a few hours, we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover,” he said. “No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly.”
He also emphasized that he and his wife Lori “are overwhelmed by the prayers and the messages of support that we’ve received from all across Pennsylvania and all across the United States.”
When a reporter asked the governor to reflect on the gravity of the events, Shapiro responded, “Honestly, I just right now want to be a good father and a good husband and take care of my family.”
I’m about to speak to Pennsylvanians about the arson attack on the Governor’s Residence.
Watch: https://t.co/mGz79YWu8x
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) April 13, 2025
Who is the suspect and what could have motivated the attack?
Cody Balmer, a 38-year-old Harrisburg resident, was taken into custody by State Police on Sunday.
According to State Police, Balmer, who was armed with homemade incendiary devices, jumped a fence surrounding the gated compound and was somehow able to evade police, break into the residence, start the fire, and then escape. He was inside the building for less than a minute, police said.
State police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters on Sunday afternoon that the suspect “clearly had a plan.”
“He was very methodical in his approach, and moved through it without a lot of hurry,” Bivens said.
Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said at an afternoon press conference that Balmer faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person (which essentially means assault against a state or local public servant while they are performing their duties).
It’s not yet clear how the man was able to evade police. The state police investigation is still underway, and the FBI is assisting.
His motive isn’t clear yet either. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Balmer has a long criminal record:
Officials said they did not expect Balmer to be charged with conspiracy, suggesting that investigators believe he worked alone. Courts records show Balmer has faced criminal charges on several occasions over the past decade, including for assault, forgery, and traffic-related offenses. In 2023, Balmer was charged with three counts of simple assault in a case that is ongoing in Dauphin County. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to one felony count of forgery and was sentenced to 18 months of probation. Details were not immediately available about either case.
Was this an antisemitic attack?
That’s not clear yet.
This post has been updated throughout.
