HARRISBURG — A person has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to Josh Shapiro’s official state residence in Harrisburg while the governor and his family slept, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
At a news conference, Shapiro said he and his family were awoken around 2 a.m. Sunday by state troopers and were quickly evacuated. They had just hours before celebrated the first night of Passover in the Governor's Residence, a historic mansion along the Susquehanna River where governors have lived and held public events for decades.
Law enforcement said the suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer of Harrisburg, came over a fence, had “homemade incendiary devices,” and “forcibly” entered the residence. Balmer “actively evaded troopers,” exited the property over the fence, and was apprehended Sunday afternoon in the Harrisburg area.
He faces charges including attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person.
Shapiro said the attack was “targeted” but that police do not know “the person’s specific motive yet.”
But “if he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me … no one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly,” he said.
A State Police official said a security review is underway to determine “how we can ensure that we don’t have a repeat of a situation like this.” Shapiro said he has “total confidence” in the State Police to keep him and his family safe.
“This type of violence is not OK,” an emotional Shapiro said outside the residence, where fire damage was visible. “This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society, and I don't give a damn if it's coming from one particular side or the other … one particular party or another or one particular person or another, it is not OK. And it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”
Commonwealth Media Services
Gov. Josh Shapiro is shown fire damage inside the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg.
In an earlier statement, the State Police said the fire “caused a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence.” No one was injured.
The governor said he and his wife, Lori, are “grateful” to law enforcement and first responders for keeping them safe. The Shapiros also have a home in Montgomery County.
“Your prayers lift us up,” Shapiro said. “We appreciate the light that you have shined upon us.”
