A suspect is in custody in connection with the overnight fire at the governor’s residence in Pennsylvania that is being investigated as arson, Pennsylvania State Police announced during a press conference on Sunday.
Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were in the residence at the time of the fire, which was reported at about 2 a.m. ET. They were evacuated safely and were not injured, according to state police.
The suspect was identified as 38-year-old Cody Balmer, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County DA Fran Chardo said during the press conference.
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)
Marc Levy/AP
Chardo said charges, set to be filed Sunday, will include attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person.
Shapiro said during the press conference that the attack was “targeted.”
“We do know that this attack was targeted… this type of violence is not okay,” the governor said. “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,” he added.
A senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told ABC News earlier Sunday that authorities are looking into whether the attack could have been fueled by the fact that Gov. Shapiro is Jewish and the blaze was set on the first night of Passover.
Just hours before the fire, the Pennsylvania governor had posted a picture of his family’s Passover Seder table on X, writing, “From the Shapiro family’s Seder table to yours, happy Passover and Chag Pesach Sameach!”
Shapiro addressed the possible motive during the conference, saying of the suspect, “If he was trying to terrorize my family, my friends… hear me on this, we celebrated our faith proudly, no one will deter me from celebrating my faith openly and proudly.”
Governor Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Matt Rourke/AP
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens detailed the alleged attack, saying the suspect came over a fence and actively evaded troopers while they were searching for him on the property.
While they were searching, the suspect broke in and set the fires, according to Bivens, who said the incident played out “over a period of several minutes.”
Earlier Sunday, Shapiro said in a statement, “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. 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.”
“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” he added.
The state police said that while the investigation is continuing, “the State Police is prepared to say at this time that this was an act of arson.”
The fire caused “a significant amount of damage” to part of the residence, according to state police.
Shapiro was elected Pennsylvania governor in 2022 and was considered as vice president for 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris before she eventually chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Shapiro served two terms as the state’s attorney general before being elected governor.
