A Pennsylvania man is in custody after an arson attack on the governor’s mansion. The attack took place just hours after the governor had hosted a Passover Seder for the Jewish community.
Flames broke out at the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg around 2 a.m. Sunday, while Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a 2024 vice presidential contender, and his family slept inside.
A Harrisburg Fire Department dispatcher announced, “The governor’s residence…reporting a large fire in the dining room on the first floor. They can see fire out the windows.”
Shapiro said, “State troopers assigned to our detail banged on our door, woke us up, and told us we had an emergency and needed to leave immediately. Together, we secured all of our children, our two dogs, and our family that was staying with us.”
All escaped safely.
Police have arrested and will charge 38-year-old Harrisburg-area resident Cody Balmer. Court records show Balmer has a lengthy criminal record, with charges of assault, theft, and forgery.
He told police that if he had encountered Shapiro in the residence, he’d have beaten him with a hammer.
Balmer’s mother, Christie Balmer, told CBS News her son is “mentally ill and he went off his medication.” She claims she contacted police to warn them but got no help.
Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said, “The charges will include attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person.”
“He clearly had a plan,” said Pennsylvania State Police Colonel Christopher Paris. “He was very methodical in his approach and moved through it without a lot of hurry.”
Authorities are also investigating whether the attack on the first night of Passover, was motivated by Shapiro’s Jewish faith. The Passover holiday, which began at sundown Saturday, commemorates the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt.
Just hours before the fire, Shapiro shared a photo of his family’s Seder table on social media, apparently the same room that was later set on fire.
Shapiro said he and his wife, Lori, are “overwhelmed by the prayers” and support they’ve received. He also condemned political violence and said the arson attack would not stop his family from celebrating Passover.
“We celebrated our faith last night, proudly, and in a few hours, we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover,” Shapiro said. “It’s a story of going from bondage, from slavery into freedom. I think it’s an important story, both literally and figuratively to tell. And I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone attempts to put on me by attacking us as they did here last night.”
Authorities are now trying to figure out how Balmer was able to scale a 7-foot security fence surrounded by surveillance cameras and enter the governor’s mansion.
