Arson at Josh Shapiro’s home: Governor, democrat rising star and his family almost killed during the night

The residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was targeted by a violent attack on the night of Saturday, April 12 to Sunday, April 13, while the governor, his wife, their four children, their two dogs, and a guest family were inside, asleep at the time of the incident. The incident occurred on the first night of Passover, a Jewish holiday celebrated earlier in the evening.

Cody A. Balmer, a 38-year-old man, was recently arrested and charged with planning and carrying out this attack.

According to the authorities, the individual admitted to being motivated by a deep-seated hatred towards the governor. He seems to have climbed the fence surrounding the official residence, broken two windows with the help of a hammer, and then thrown two Molotov cocktails inside. The fire quickly spread, causing significant damage in a section of the house, fortunately far from the area where the occupants were sleeping.

The attack, which occurred around 2am, took place while all the occupants of the residence were sleeping. Thanks to the presence of state police in charge of the governor’s security, an evacuation operation was able to be launched quickly, allowing the entire resident population to be put to safety. At the same time, searches were initiated to find the perpetrator of the attack, who had managed to escape surveillance.

The rapid intervention of law enforcement prevented a tragedy from occurring by a hair’s breadth. Although no injuries were reported, a part of the residence suffered significant material damage, and the circumstances of the attack clearly testify to the seriousness of the perpetrator’s intentions.

According to law enforcement, Balmer would have stayed a few minutes inside the property before triggering the fire. A few hours after the attack, he presented himself to the authorities, providing during his interrogation precise details about the planning of his action, corroborated by the videosurveillance images. However, he provided no explanation as to his motivations.

According to investigators, surveillance video images show Balmer climbing the fence, then heading towards the windows located on the south side of the residence, which he breaks with a hammer. During his interrogation, he also allegedly admitted that if he had found Josh Shapiro inside, he would have attacked him with his hammer.

During a press conference held in front of his fire-damaged residence, Governor Josh Shapiro reacted firmly, stating that this attack would only strengthen his determination to do his job. He declared that if the perpetrator of the assault had tried to intimidate him, he had failed.

Balmer is now facing multiple charges, including attempted attempted murder, aggravated arson and terrorism.