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Police have arrested a man they allege set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion early on Sunday, while Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping. Shapiro and his family evacuated, and no one was injured.
The Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday that it has charged Cody Balmer, 38, with attempted murder, aggravated arson, terrorism, and other charges. Balmer allegedly climbed the fence of the state-owned residence, broke a window with a hammer, and threw Molotov cocktails inside. Balmer turned himself in, and acknowledged “harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro.”
“Last night at about 2AM, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg,” Shapiro wrote in a social media post on Sunday.
The fire caused “a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence,” Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement. Shapiro and his family were in a “different part” of the Harrisburg governor’s mansion at the time of the fire and “were not injured.”
The police said on Sunday they are “prepared to say at this time that this was an act of arson.”
“Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities,” Shapiro wrote. “Last night, they did so for our family — and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe.”
On Saturday evening ahead of the arson, Shapiro, who is Jewish, shared a photo of his family’s table set for Seder, a traditional meal marking Passover, at the residence.
The Associated Press reported visible damage to the residence’s south side, mostly to a room used to host large crowds and display art.
Acts of political violence have been on the rise in recent years, showing the largest and most sustained increase in 50 years. In October, Reuters had identified 300 cases of political violence in the U.S. since the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, including at least 51 incidents in 2024. Incidents of political violence in America have steadily been increasing since 2016, when Trump ran for his first term. Rising political violence is a global trend.
Trump was asked about the act of arson while taking questions from reporters on Air Force One. “I’ll have to look into it,” he said.
