Suspect arrested in arson fire that forced Pennsylvania Gov. Josh
Shapiro, family to flee residence
[April 14, 2025]
By MARC LEVY
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man scaled an iron security fence in the middle
of the night, eluded police and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s
mansion where he set a fire that left significant damage and forced Gov.
Josh Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building,
authorities said Sunday.
The man, captured later in the day, will face charges of attempted
murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities
said.
Shapiro said he, his wife, their four children, two dogs and another
family had celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover at the residence on
Saturday and were awakened by state troopers pounding on their doors at
about 2 a.m. Sunday. They fled and firefighters extinguished the fire,
officials said. No one was injured.
At a Sunday evening news conference in front of the badly damaged south
wing of the governor's residence, Pennsylvania State Police Col.
Christopher Paris identified the man in custody as Cody Balmer, 38, of
Harrisburg.
Shapiro says he is unbowed
Paris emphasized that the investigation is continuing. Authorities did
not disclose the man's motive, but an emotional Shapiro, who is viewed
as a potential White House contender for the Democratic Party in 2028,
said he is unbowed.
Shapiro said that if Balmer was trying to stop him from doing his job,
then he’ll work harder, and he added that Balmer will not stop him from
observing his faith.
“When we were in the state dining room last night, we told the story of
Passover” and the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt to freedom,
Shapiro said. “I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone
attempts to put on me by attacking us as they did here last night. I
refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from
doing the work that I love."
Police say suspect hopped security fence and forcibly entered
residence
Authorities said the suspect hopped over a nearly 7-foot-high
(2.1-meter-high) iron security fence surrounding the property, eluded
officers who became aware of the breach and forcibly entered the
residence before setting it on fire.
Lt. Col. George Bivens said Balmer had a homemade incendiary device — he
would not describe what kind — and appeared to have carefully planned
the attack. He was inside the residence for about a minute before he
escaped, Bivens said.
Bivens said Balmer was later arrested in the area. Authorities did not
say whether Balmer has a lawyer or where he was being held and calls to
people believed to be relatives went unanswered or unreturned. One
recent listed residence in Harrisburg was condemned in 2022.
Balmer has faced criminal charges over the past decade including simple
assault, theft and forgery, according to online criminal court records.
‘We have to be better than this,’ Shapiro says
Shapiro said the fire was set in the very room where he and his family
celebrated Passover with a seder with members of Harrisburg’s Jewish
community on Saturday night.
[to top of second column]
|
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pauses during a news conference at
the governor's official residence discussing the alleged arson that
forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night
on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in
Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
“We don’t know the person’s specific motive yet," Shapiro told the
news conference. “But we do know a few truths. First: This type of
violence is not OK. This kind of violence is becoming far too common
in our society. And 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. We have to be better than this.”
The fire badly damaged the inside of the large room that is often
used for entertaining crowds and art displays. Large west- and
south-facing windows were completely missing their glass panes,
shattered glass littered the pathways and doors stood ajar amid
signs of charring. Window panes and brick around doors and windows
were blackened and charred.
Inside, a charred piano, tables, walls, metal buffet serving dishes
and more could be seen through broken windows and fire-blackened
doors.
Justice Department and other agencies pledge to help
Shapiro said he had received pledges of help from the Department of
Justice, the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office, as well as numerous
messages of support from fellow governors and others.
Yellow tape cordoned off an alleyway on the residence's south side,
where investigators dogs outside the iron security fence and sawed
off a section from the top of the security fence. They wrapped it in
heavy black plastic and took it away in a vehicle.
Shapiro splits his time between the mansion that has housed
governors since it was built in the 1960s and a home in Abington,
about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east. He posted a photograph on
social media Saturday of the family's Passover Seder table at the
residence.
“Thanks be to God that Governor Shapiro and his family were unharmed
in this attack,” Vice President JD Vance posted to X. “Really
disgusting violence, and I hope whoever did it is brought swiftly to
justice.”
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, a Republican, called the
attack a “despicable act of cowardice" and said he hoped
Pennsylvanians joined he and his wife in keeping the Shapiros in
their prayers.
Former Gov. Tom Ridge, also a Republican, said images of the damage
to the residence where he lived for eight years with his family were
“heartbreaking” and said the attack on the official residence was
shocking.
“Whoever is responsible for this attack — to both the Shapiro family
and our Commonwealth — must be held to account,” Ridge said.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
