By Jack Phillips
Contributing Writer
The man accused of carrying out an arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion in Harrisburg over the weekend admitted “harboring hatred” against the governor, officials said in court documents.
Cody Balmer, 38, was arrested and charged with aggravated arson, attempted murder, terrorism and related charges, Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said in a statement.
Court documents that were submitted by the district attorney’s office in Balmer’s case allege that Balmer “intentionally deployed several incendiary devices inside the governor’s residence causing significant fire damage” that placed Shapiro, his family, “and anyone else in the residence at risk of death.”
On Sunday morning, Shapiro, a Democrat, released a statement on social media platform X that he and his family were evacuated after first responders arrived at the scene of the fire.
Shapiro, who had been celebrating Passover with his family, said that the attack occurred hours after their dinner. Court documents did not suggest the attack was antisemitic, and Shapiro later told reporters that the arsonist’s specific motive was not clear.
Balmer allegedly “admitted to harboring hatred towards” the governor when speaking with state troopers and that he carried out the attack. Balmer said that he filled Heineken beer bottles with gasoline before walking approximately one hour to the governor’s residence.
Once he approached the fence, he scaled it, broke two windows of the mansion, and then threw the Molotov cocktails inside, he allegedly told police, according to court documents.
When asked about whether he was aware that Shapiro and his family could have been inside the building when he tossed the incendiary devices, Balmer said that he was aware that it could have been possible, the court documents state.
After police asked him what he may have done if he had found Shapiro, Balmer responded by saying that he would have attacked the governor with his hammer, the document said.
Balmer could be seen on surveillance video footage after climbing the perimeter fence, officials said in court documents. He was reportedly wearing a black “Snap-On” jacket, black boots, two different colored gloves, and was holding a bag. He was seen going into the mansion’s piano room and tossing the homemade Molotov cocktail through a window that he had broken.
“Within the bedroom he used, troopers recovered the unique Snap-On jacket with the distinctive shoulder patches and a bag containing a gasoline container,” the district attorney’s office said in the statement about his arrest.
After the fire spread, the suspect believed to be Balmer was seen breaking the glass of another window before entering the building and deploying another Molotov cocktail, the police said.
Authorities said that a woman who is believed to be Balmer’s “ex-paramour” called police to say that she believed Balmer was the individual responsible for the attack, saying he contacted her to turn himself in.
Shapiro told reporters, “When we were in the state dining room last night, we told the story of Passover,” about the exodus of the Jews from Egypt to freedom as recounted in the Old Testament.
“I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone attempts to put on me by attacking us as they did here last night,” he said. “I refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love.”
Shapiro said that antisemitic incidents in the United States are increasing.
“We don’t know the person’s specific motive yet,” Shapiro told the news conference.
“But we do know a few truths. First: This type of violence is not OK. 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, directed at 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.”
It’s not clear whether Balmer has legal counsel.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
