Arson suspect admits he wanted to kill Josh Shapiro

The residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was targeted in 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 by Shapiro and his relatives earlier in the evening.

Police have arrested a Harrisburg man in connection with what they call a “targeted attack” that caused a fire that heavily damaged the Pennsylvania governor’s residence early Sunday morning as Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside.

— Pennsylvania Capital-Star (@penncapital-star.com) 2025-04-13T23:10:19.935Z

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

According to authorities, the individual allegedly admitted to being motivated by a deep-seated hatred for the governor. He allegedly climbed the fence surrounding the official residence, broke two windows with a hammer, and then threw two Molotov cocktails inside.

The fire quickly spread, causing significant damage to a section of the house, fortunately located away from the area where the occupants were sleeping.

The attack, which occurred around 2 a.m., took place while all the occupants of the residence were asleep. Thanks to the presence of state police officers responsible for the governor’s security, an evacuation operation was quickly launched, allowing all residents to be put to safety. At the same time, a search was initiated to find the perpetrator, who had managed to evade surveillance.

The rapid intervention of law enforcement prevented a tragedy from occurring. Although no injuries were reported, 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 allegedly stayed inside the property for a few minutes before triggering the fire. A few hours after the attack, he turned himself in to the authorities, providing detailed information about the planning of his actions during his interrogation, corroborated by surveillance footage. However, he did not provide any explanation for his motivations.

According to investigators, surveillance footage shows Balmer climbing the fence and then heading towards the windows 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 with the intention of killing him.

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

Balmer now faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, arson, burglary, and terrorism.

This content was created with the help of AI.