Arson Attack at Pennsylvania Governor’s Home, Suspect in Custody Possible Terrorism Charges

[Social Media]

 

Arson Attempt Targets Pennsylvania Governor’s Home, Suspect in Custody

 

A 38-year-old man has been arrested and faces multiple serious charges after a suspected arson attack at the Pennsylvania Governor’s official residence in Harrisburg. Cody Balmer, identified by authorities as the suspect, is expected to be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, and attempted arson following the early morning incident that threatened the lives of Governor Josh Shapiro and his family.

 

 

The arrest came just hours after Governor Shapiro was abruptly awakened in the middle of the night by emergency responders as flames engulfed part of the residence. At a press conference on Sunday, Shapiro, visibly shaken, recounted the terrifying moment he and his family were forced to evacuate. “I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone attempted to put on me by attacking us as they did last night,” he told reporters, describing the experience as “obviously emotional.” Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident.

Extensive fire damage inside Pennsylvania Governor’s residence after arson attack overnight, seen here in a series of photos provided by @GovernorShapiro officers. pic.twitter.com/06CxpY3d79

— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) April 13, 2025

 

The Democratic governor and his family had been gathered the evening before to celebrate the first night of Passover, a significant Jewish holiday, sharing the traditional story of liberation. “When we were in the state dining room last night, we told the story of Passover,” Shapiro said. The irony of commemorating freedom on the eve of a violent act was not lost on him, though authorities say the motive behind the attack remains unknown.

 

Deputy Commissioner George Bivens revealed that Balmer had a homemade incendiary device in his possession at the time of his arrest. Police believe he managed to breach the secure perimeter surrounding the governor’s residence, gain access to the property, and ignite the fire. The blaze caused what officials have described as a “significant amount of damage” to one portion of the 29,000-square-foot Georgian-style home, which has served as the official residence of Pennsylvania’s governors since 1968.

 

Firefighters from the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire quickly responded, extinguishing the flames as police worked to evacuate Shapiro and his family, who were in a different part of the residence when the fire began. Authorities had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. It is not yet clear whether the arrest of Balmer came as a result of a public tip, but he remains in custody as the investigation continues.

 

Governor Shapiro, who took office in 2023 after serving as Pennsylvania’s attorney general, has been considered a rising star in the Democratic Party and was even rumored to be a potential running mate for Kamala Harris during her presidential bid. Though Harris ultimately selected former Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Shapiro’s name continues to surface in conversations about future White House contenders.

 

Shapiro and his wife Lori have four children—Sophia, Jonah, Max, and Reuben—who were all present during the attack but were unharmed. While the motive for the arson has not yet been established, state authorities are continuing to investigate the incident with terrorism charges already on the table. For now, the Shapiro family is safe, though the psychological and physical impact of the attack on their home is still unfolding.

 

Based on a report by BBC  2025-04-14

 

 

[Tug]

Quell surprise 

[Lacessit]

IIRC there is a poster who was screeching about a teenager wanting to assassinate Trump. I wonder if he has the same level of indignation when it's a Democrat.

[NickyLouie]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

IIRC there is a poster who was screeching about a teenager wanting to assassinate Trump. I wonder if he has the same level of indignation when it's a Democrat.

 

Was this an open air gunshot assassination attempt ?

 

No .....

[frank83628]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

IIRC there is a poster who was screeching about a teenager wanting to assassinate Trump. I wonder if he has the same level of indignation when it's a Democrat.

Same can be said for those here who wished trump assassination was successful 

[Lacessit]

5 minutes ago, NickyLouie said:

 

Was this an open air gunshot assassination attempt ?

 

No .....

It was an arson attempt which put him and his entire family at risk.

 

Are you in a competition for the most abjectly moronic post of the month?

[Evil Penevil]

Whatever security detail Gov. Josh Shapiro had-  it's usually State Police- failed him badly.  The suspect, Cody Balmer, jumped a wall, evaded  State troopers, broke into the governor's mansion, used a Molotov cocktail to set the fire. then escaped the same way he came.  How the hell that could have happened is mind-boggling.

 

It's not yet known whether the attack was related to Shapiro's religion or support for Israel.  Shapiro is an observant Jew  who before the attack had celebrated the first night of Passover with a Seder, the traditional dinner, at which participants sing, "Next year in Jerusalem."

[ronnie50]

1 hour ago, NickyLouie said:

 

Was this an open air gunshot assassination attempt ?

 

No .....

You're correct! No, it wasn't. It was a cowardly attempt to burn to death a man, his wife and their children while they slept in their beds.

[ronnie50]

45 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

Whatever security detail Gov. Josh Shapiro had-  it's usually State Police- failed him badly.  The suspect, Cody Balmer, jumped a wall, evaded  State troopers, broke into the governor's mansion, used a Molotov cocktail to set the fire. then escaped the same way he came.  How the hell that could have happened is mind-boggling.

What's with the keystone secret service and VIP security cops in the United States? Are they still going to blame it on DEI?

[JonnyF]

The rise in antisemitic hate is getting out of control.

 

Literally trying burn Jews in their homes.

 

Disgusting. 

[Cryingdick]

What if there was a Tesla in his driveway would that change things?

[Evil Penevil]

Latest update says the accused arsonist, Cody Balmer,  harbored "hatred" for Shapiro, but doesn't go into details of why.  I wonder if Balmer will say he is anti-Zionist but not antisemitic. 

 

Cody Balmer was "harboring hatred" toward Shapiro before setting fire at Governor's Residence, documents say

...

When asked what he would've done if confronted by the governor while inside the residence, the complaint said Balmer stated he would've "beaten him with his hammer."

...

Cody Balmer's mother says her son is "mentally ill"

Christie Balmer told CBS News that her son is "mentally ill and he went off his medication" before the attack on the Governor's Residence and that she had tried to get her son "picked up" last week by four different police departments.

According to Christie Balmer, she couldn't get anybody to help.

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/cody-balmer-governors-residence-fire-josh-shapiro-harrisburg/

[Cryingdick]

Why is this individual being deprived of his humanity and being held without bail? If the guy next door here illegally who raped a dozen kids is still on the streets why not this guy?

[Yagoda]

20 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

It's not yet known whether the attack was related to Shapiro's religion or support for Israel.  Shapiro is an observant Jew  who before the attack had celebrated the first night of Passover with a Seder, the traditional dinner, at which participants sing, "Next year in Jerusalem."

Yep, you wonder how much jew hate from the Democrats and their foot soldiers seeped into the consciousness of this loon.

 

They got a bed waiting in Supermax

[placeholder]

1 hour ago, Yagoda said:

Yep, you wonder how much jew hate from the Democrats and their foot soldiers seeped into the consciousness of this loon.

 

They got a bed waiting in Supermax

Definitely anti-semitic  the Democrats' fault..oh wait a minute...

 

"Wisconsin teen plotted to kill Trump to start 'political revolution': documents

Images of a three-page document titled "Accelerate the Collapse" called for the assassination of Trump, according to the report. 

Trump was specifically referenced in an excerpt from the document, which said "getting rid of the president and perhaps the vice president" is "guaranteed to bring in some chaos.

The so-called manifesto described creating "a political revolution in the United States" to "save the white race" from "Jewish controlled" lawmakers. Images of Adolf Hitler with the text "HAIL HITLER HAIL THE WHITE RACE HAIL VICTORY" were also found in the document.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/wisconsin-teen-plotted-kill-trump-start-political-revolution-documents

[radiochaser]

'Registered socialist,' BLM supporter Cody Balmer charged with arson of PA governor's mansion

 

https://thepostmillennial.com/registered-socialist-blm-supporter-cody-balmer-charged-with-arson-of-pa-governors-mansion

 

[sqwakvfr]

On 4/14/2025 at 11:20 AM, Evil Penevil said:

Whatever security detail Gov. Josh Shapiro had-  it's usually State Police- failed him badly.  The suspect, Cody Balmer, jumped a wall, evaded  State troopers, broke into the governor's mansion, used a Molotov cocktail to set the fire. then escaped the same way he came.  How the hell that could have happened is mind-boggling.

 

It's not yet known whether the attack was related to Shapiro's religion or support for Israel.  Shapiro is an observant Jew  who before the attack had celebrated the first night of Passover with a Seder, the traditional dinner, at which participants sing, "Next year in Jerusalem."

We used call that a "A security failure". Shapiro and his family were lucky.  

[Purdey]

He doesn't seem to be a Democrat, with all the White supremacy nonsense. If he was on medication he should be in a hospital.

[bkk6060]

As a Democrat the victim should drop all charges.  I am sure the arrestee didn't mean it and is really a nice person.