HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man 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 that left significant damage and forced Gov. Josh Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building, authorities said Sunday.
The man, captured later in the day, will face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities said.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pauses during a news conference at the governor's official residence discussing the alleged arson that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
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A charred piano, left, is visible inside the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Charred wood trim and brick are visible at the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Charred wood trim and brick are visible at the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Charred wood trim and brick are visible at the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pauses during a news conference at the governor's official residence discussing the alleged arson that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pauses during a news conference at the governor's official residence discussing the alleged arson that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Charred tables and dishes are visible inside the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in an alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pauses during a news conference at the governor's official residence discussing the alleged arson that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Damage to Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence is shown after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Damage to Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence is shown after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
FILE - Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his budget address for the 2025-26 fiscal year to a joint session of the state House and Senate at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
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 2 a.m. 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, Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris identified the man in custody as Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg.
Paris emphasized that the investigation is continuing. Authorities did not disclose the man's motive, but an emotional Shapiro, who is viewed as a potential White House contender for the Democratic Party in 2028, said he is unbowed.
Shapiro said that if Balmer was trying to stop him from doing his job, then he’ll work harder, and he added that Balmer will 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 7-foot-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.
Lt. Col. George Bivens said Balmer had a homemade incendiary device — he would not describe what kind — and 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. 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. One recent listed residence in Harrisburg was condemned in 2022.
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.
“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.”
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.
Shapiro said he had received pledges of help from the Department of Justice, the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office, as well as numerous messages of support from fellow governors and others.
Yellow tape cordoned off an alleyway on the residence's south side, where investigators dogs outside the iron security fence and sawed off a section from the top of the security fence. They wrapped it in heavy black plastic and took it away in a vehicle.
Shapiro splits his time between the mansion that has housed governors since it was built in the 1960s and a home in Abington, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east. He posted a photograph on social media Saturday of the family's Passover Seder table at the residence.
“Thanks be to God that Governor Shapiro and his family were unharmed in this attack,” Vice President JD Vance posted to X. “Really disgusting violence, and I hope whoever did it is brought swiftly to justice.”
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, a Republican, called the attack a “despicable act of cowardice" and said he hoped Pennsylvanians joined he and his wife in keeping the Shapiros in their prayers.
Former Gov. Tom Ridge, also a Republican, said images of the damage to the residence where he lived for eight years with his family were “heartbreaking” and said the attack on the official residence was shocking.
“Whoever is responsible for this attack — to both the Shapiro family and our Commonwealth — must be held to account,” Ridge said.
Follow Marc Levy on X at: https://x.com/timelywriter
A charred piano, left, is visible inside the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Charred wood trim and brick are visible at the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Charred wood trim and brick are visible at the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Charred wood trim and brick are visible at the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pauses during a news conference at the governor's official residence discussing the alleged arson that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pauses during a news conference at the governor's official residence discussing the alleged arson that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Charred tables and dishes are visible inside the Pennsylvania governor's official residence after a man was arrested in an alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pauses during a news conference at the governor's official residence discussing the alleged arson that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Damage to Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence is shown after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Damage to Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence is shown after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Police investigate Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence after someone set fire to the building on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Sean Simmers /The Patriot-News via AP)
Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
FILE - Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his budget address for the 2025-26 fiscal year to a joint session of the state House and Senate at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
