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A man who authorities said scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion – where he set a fire – had planned to beat the governor, Josh Shapiro, with a hammer if he found him because he hates the politician, according to court documents released on Monday.
The fire left significant damage and forced Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building early on Sunday. The man, arrested later in the day, faces charges including attempted homicide, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities said.
During a police interview, authorities said Cody Balmer told them after he was taken into custody that he would have beaten Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he had found him, the documents allege. Balmer had walked an hour from his home to the governor’s residence in Harrisburg, and during the police interview, “Balmer admitted to harboring hatred towards … Shapiro,” according to a police affidavit. The affidavit did not note why Balmer purportedly hated Shapiro.
Shapiro said he, his wife, their four children, two dogs and another family had celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover at the residence on Saturday and were awakened by state troopers pounding on their doors at about 2am Sunday. They fled, and firefighters extinguished the fire, officials said. No one was injured.
At a Sunday evening news conference in front of the badly damaged south wing of the governor’s residence, Col Christopher Paris of Pennsylvania state police colonel identified the man in custody as Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg.
Authorities did not say whether Balmer has a lawyer or where he was being held. And calls to people believed to be relatives went unanswered or unreturned on Sunday. One recent listed residence in Harrisburg was condemned in 2022.
Paris emphasized that the investigation was continuing. Authorities did not disclose the precise motive for the alleged arsonist.
An emotional Shapiro, who is viewed as a potential White House contender for the Democratic party in 2028, said he was unbowed.
Shapiro said that if Balmer was trying to stop him from doing his job, then he would work harder. And he added that Balmer would not stop him from observing his faith.
“When we were in the state dining room last night, we told the story of Passover” and the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt to freedom, 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 had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love.”
Authorities said the suspect hopped over a nearly 7ft-high (2.1-meter-high) iron security fence surrounding the property, eluded officers who became aware of the breach and forcibly entered the residence before setting it on fire. He used beer bottles filled with gasoline to make the molotov cocktails, documents say.
The state police lieutenant colonel, George Bivens, said Balmer appeared to have carefully planned the attack. He was inside the residence for about a minute before he escaped, Bivens said.
Bivens said Balmer was later arrested in the area.
Balmer has faced criminal charges over the past decade including simple assault, theft and forgery, according to online criminal court records.
Shapiro said the fire was set in the very room where he and his family celebrated Passover with a seder with members of Harrisburg’s Jewish community on Saturday night.
After reiterating that authorities had not determined this “person’s specific motive”, Shapiro told the news briefing: “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.”
The fire badly damaged the inside of the large room that is often used for entertaining crowds and art displays. Large west- and south-facing windows were completely missing their glass panes, shattered glass littered the pathways and doors stood ajar amid signs of charring. Window panes and brick around doors and windows were blackened and charred.
Inside, a charred piano, tables, walls, metal buffet serving dishes and more could be seen through broken windows and fire-blackened doors.
