Sunday’s arson attack at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg was more than vandalism: It was an assassination attempt that endangered Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family, and should be described and remembered as such.
This marks the second attempt on a major political leader’s life in Pennsylvania within just nine months. As with the shooting of Donald Trump in Butler County last July, this brazen invasion of Mr. Shapiro’s home got far too close to succeeding. It raises serious questions about security protocols, even as it also demonstrated the courage and professionalism of those who leapt into action to usher the Shapiro family to safety.
The near-tragedy is yet another example of political violence in a country where careless rhetoric and expressions of hatred — not disagreement, not disappointment, not even contempt, but annihilationist hatred of other people or groups — have become increasingly normalized. As Mr. Shapiro himself said in his exceptional remarks after the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump, which killed firefighter Corey Comperatore, “Political disagreements can never ever be addressed through violence. Disagreements are okay. But we need to use a peaceful political process to settle those differences.”
This hatred is a virus that spreads from person to person, and eventually consumes those it infects — unless they, with the help of the communities we all share, root it out.
As of this writing, little is known about Cody Balmer, the 38-year-old man from Harrisburg who turned himself in on Monday. What we do know from the police report is that Mr. Balmer expressed a deep hatred for Mr. Shapiro, and that he intended to beat him with a hammer — an echo of the 2022 assault of Paul Pelosi, husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
We do not yet know if antisemitism motivated the attack, but it did occur during the first night of Passover, after the traditional meal, or seder, that is one of the most richly symbolic communal rituals of the Jewish year. Mr. Shapiro proudly practices his faith, which he has consistently said informs his leadership. Regardless of the assailant’s motives and beliefs, the attack evokes a particular horror in Jews across Pennsylvania, who have already felt uneasy as incidents of antisemitic intimidation have increased dramatically in recent years.
Mr. Balmer, according to police, scaled an iron fence along an alley that abuts the least visible side of the property. He then smashed a window and tossed a rudimentary Molotov cocktail into the home. He entered through another window and started another fire before leaving. The damage is extensive.
Mr. Shapiro’s security detail banged on the door to his quarters shortly thereafter, and the governor, his wife Lori, their four children and their two dogs were led to safety. Terrifyingly, Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline told reporters on Monday that the fast-moving fire would have engulfed more of the house if a door leading from the ballroom had not been closed.
It’s a large property in a populated area, which makes perfect security challenging, but there’s no way an attacker should have been able to gain access so easily. The Pennsylvania State Police is responsible for the governor’s safety. The agency must perform a full investigation to discover any failures in their protection and how security at the Governor’s Residence can be tightened to prevent such attacks.
If someone like the attacker could figure out how to evade detection and get onto the property and into the home, those designing the security should have seen the danger as well. The investigation must find out if the Governor's Residence is vulnerable at other places and in other ways. Another failure to protect the governor and his family can't be allowed.
First Published: April 15, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
Updated: April 15, 2025, 12:29 p.m.
