An arsonist armed with homemade incendiary devices slipped past security, broke into the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping, and set a fire in the room where the state's first family had celebrated the beginning of Passover with a Seder just hours earlier, officials said Sunday.
Police arrested 38-year-old Cody Balmer of Harrisburg and charged him with attempted homicide, arson and terrorism, among other offenses.
The FBI, state Attorney General's Office, Capitol Police and Dauphin County District Attorney's Office are continuing to investigate, officials said Sunday in a news conference just outside the Harrisburg mansion.
They did not identify a motive for the alleged attack.
The southwest exterior of the brick building was visibly scorched, with windows broken and the interior of the corner room blackened and heavily damaged by the fire.
Mr. Shapiro, his voice by turns cracking with emotion and rising with anger, recounted the moments when State Police officers pounded on the doors to wake him, his wife, their children and the family members who were staying with them as the blaze spread through a portion of the building.
"This type of violence is not OK. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society," Mr. Shapiro said, flanked by state and local law enforcement officials. "I don't give a damn if it's coming from one side or the other. It is not OK and it has to stop."
The suspected arsonist climbed a fence and evaded the security detail that protects the governor and his family before breaking into the mansion and setting the fire. Officials said he was in the building for less than a minute, and escaped back over the fence even as State Police were searching the grounds for him.
"He clearly had a plan," said Deputy State Police Commissioner George Bivens. "He was very methodical in his approach and moved through it without a lot of hurry."
Officials have begun to review the breach to determine how the alleged arsonist evaded the governor's protective detail, and "determine how we can ensure that we don't have a repeat of a situation like this," Mr. Bivens said.
It took firefighters about 20 minutes to put out the blaze, and a portion of the Georgian-style mansion was seriously damaged, police said. Photos posted on the Harrisburg Fire Department’s Facebook page show smoke pouring from the first floor.
Only hours earlier, Mr. Shapiro and his family were in the same room, gathered around a table and retelling the story of Passover, the Jewish holiday that commemorates the Israelites' escape from slavery.
"It's an important story — both literally and figuratively — to tell," Mr. 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 has evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love."
Mr. Shapiro said he spoke earlier in the day with FBI Director Kash Patel, who "promised all the resources of the federal government" in the investigation. Mr. Balmer could also face federal charges along with those filed by Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo, said Mr. Chardo during the news conference outside the residence.
After the fire, an outpouring of support from across the country flooded the governor's office, Mr. Shapiro said, pausing to gather himself as he recounted it.
"Lori and I are ... Lori and I are overwhelmed by the prayers and the messages of support that we've received from all across Pennsylvania and all across the United States," Mr. Shapiro said. "I want you to know that your prayers lift us up, and in this moment of darkness, we are choosing to see light. We appreciate the light that you have shined upon us."
Mr. Shapiro has in recent weeks been making multiple appearances around the state, highlighting accomplishments during the first 27 months of his administration, touting features of his proposed 2025-26 state budget, and leveling strong criticism at President Donald Trump’s performance during his first months back in office.
On Thursday, Mr. Shapiro told a crowd in Philadelphia that Trump’s trade policies had caused chaos and higher prices for Pennsylvanians.
Mr. Shapiro also was quick to condemn the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Hamas terrorist group, which killed about 1,200 people. Mr. Shapiro stood by his comments despite pushback from Muslim organizations.
The violent incident at the Governor’s Residence comes after years of increasing threats and violence targeting public officials — none more dramatic than the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob stormed the building and attempted to stop the certification of former President Joe Biden's victory.
In July, a gunman tried to assassinate then-candidate Trump during a rally in Butler in a shooting that wounded the president and two others and killed firefighter Corey Comperatore.
Just over two years ago, in October 2022, a man broke into then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's house and attacked her husband Paul, fracturing his skull with a hammer. In Michigan, law enforcement thwarted a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Witmer in 2020.
The attack early Sunday drew swift condemnation from the state’s top leaders and Mr. Shapiro’s predecessors, all of whom lived in the residence during their years in office.
The top Republican in the state Senate, President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, said she would review the investigation when police release their findings.
“The most important thing is Gov. Shapiro and his family are safe and healthy,” Ms. Ward, of Westmoreland County, posted on X. “I am grateful for the work of our firefighters and law enforcement agencies for their quick response to this tragic incident.”
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said he joined “all Pennsylvanians in praying for the Shapiro family following this criminal act.”
Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said in a statement that people should be “shocked at the reported act of arson.”
“Particularly during this Holy Week for Christians and Passover time for the Jewish people, we focus on the deep love that God has for all of us,” Bishop Zubik said. “We must be deeply grateful that Governor Shapiro and his family are safe, and we must also pray for an end to violence, which goes against everything good about us as human beings.”
The 29,000-square-foot building has hosted art exhibits and public events during the decades since it was built in 1968, but for Mr. Shapiro and seven of his predecessors, it has also been their home.
“The images showing the damage to the home we lived in with our children for nearly eight years are heartbreaking,” former Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican and former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, wrote. “All of us should feel safe in our homes, especially when that home is our state’s official residence, which makes this particularly shocking.”
“Whoever is responsible for this attack — to both the Shapiro family and our Commonwealth — must be held to account,” Mr. Ridge wrote.
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd, speaking on behalf of the court, said “my colleagues and I share the disbelief and outrage felt by all Pennsylvanians …and I extend my sincere support and concern for the governor and his family and gratitude to the first responders who acted quickly and courageously in the face of violence and hate.
“Acts of violence targeting our communities, neighbors, first responders and public officials are a stark reminder of the need for us to come together to reject hate and stand in solidarity and support for the institutions that unite us as Pennsylvanians.”
The state’s 44th governor, Mark Schweiker, called the suspected arson “a despicable act of cowardice.”
“Kathy and I hope all Pennsylvanians will join us in keeping Josh, Lori and their family in their prayers,” Mr. Schweiker wrote. “We thank the firefighters who bravely responded to the fire, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police and all law enforcement for their ongoing efforts to bring the coward who attacked the People’s House to justice."
For Mr. Shapiro, that house is now suffused with the acrid smell of fire and smoke.
"When you get woken up at two o'clock in the morning with a banging on the door from brave Pennsylvania State Police telling you you have to immediately evacuate, that's jarring — especially for children," Mr. Shapiro said. "We're going to celebrate our second Seder together. We're going to have more family time. And I trust that Lori and I will make sure our kids get through this."
First Published: April 13, 2025, 3:15 p.m.
Updated: April 14, 2025, 4:52 p.m.
