Police have arrested a man suspected of setting alight Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home Saturday night, and authorities say he will be charged with attempted murder and terrorism.
Shapiro said he and his family were woken up just after 2 a.m. to state police banging on their door after a fire to the governor’s residence in Harrisburg. Crews evacuated the family and no one was injured. Before a suspect had been found, state police said they are “prepared to say at this time that this was an act of arson.”
Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris later identified the man in custody as Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg.
Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said the man will be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, attempted arson and aggravated assault.
“The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was on the scene and while they worked to put out the fire, we were evacuated from the Residence safely by Pennsylvania State Police and assisted by Capitol Police,” Shapiro said in a post on X. “Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished.”
Shapiro and his wife, Lori, have four children.
The fire broke out overnight on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which Shapiro and his family had celebrated at the governor’s official residence in the state capital of Harrisburg. Shapiro had shared a photo of his family’s Seder table just hours prior.
Police gave no other details about the cause.
The fire caused a “significant amount of damage” to a portion of the residence, state police said. Shapiro was in a different part of the residence when the fire was lit.
As of Sunday, fire damage is still visible on the residence’s south side, primarily to a large room often used for entertaining crowds and art displays. There was still a police presence early Sunday afternoon as yellow tape cordoned off an alleyway and an officer led a dog outside a iron security fence.
Shapiro, a Democrat, was once considered a front-runner for Kamala Harris’s running mate. The 51-year-old is also an expected contender for the White House in 2028.
Last month, Shapiro joined a coalition of governors and attorneys general suing President Donald Trump’s administration after it cut $12 billion in federal funds for COVID-19 initiatives and various other nationwide public health projects.
