A Pennsylvania man has been charged with multiple felonies, including attempted murder and terrorism, after turning himself into authorities for setting fire to the Governor's Residence while Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were inside following their Passover seder, CBS News reports. The suspect admitted to investigators he was "harboring hatred" toward the governor, according to court documents filed in Dauphin County.
Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, voluntarily surrendered to authorities after allegedly jumping a fence and deliberately starting the fire around 2 a.m. on April 13. According to charging documents, Pennsylvania State Police were contacted by a woman who described Balmer as her "ex-paramour" and told officers he had confessed to her and wanted to be turned in to police.
Shortly after the woman's report, Balmer went directly to the Pennsylvania State Police Headquarters on Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg and, according to court documents, told a trooper he had set the fire and wanted to surrender himself. The Shapiro family had just celebrated the first night of Passover inside the residence the evening before the attack. The governor confirmed Sunday that no one was injured.
Court documents show Balmer has been charged with criminal homicide (attempted murder), terrorism, aggravated arson, aggravated assault, burglary, and additional offenses. Following his arraignment Monday evening, a judge denied bail. Pennsylvania State Police stated earlier Monday that Balmer received medical treatment at a hospital for "a medical event not related to this incident or his arrest."
Last night at the Governor's Residence, we experienced an attack not just on our family, but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
This kind of violence has become far too common in our society, and it has to stop. pic.twitter.com/5HP5JSvgfc
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) April 13, 2025
During police questioning after his surrender, Balmer admitted he harbored hatred toward Shapiro, removed gasoline from a lawn mower, poured it into beer bottles, walked an hour to the Governor's Residence, and threw the homemade Molotov cocktails into the home, the criminal complaint states. Balmer acknowledged to investigators he knew the Shapiro family might be home at the time.
When asked what he would have done if confronted by the governor inside the residence, Balmer reportedly told police he would have "beaten him with his hammer." During a search of Balmer's home, investigators discovered the sledgehammer seen in surveillance footage, along with clothes Balmer wore during the attack.
Governor Shapiro expressed gratitude on social media Monday, stating: "This weekend, our family witnessed the incredible bravery and excellence of our first responders. The entire Shapiro family is eternally grateful for the @PAStatePolice troopers who safely evacuated our family from danger, the firefighters who quickly put out the fire at the Governor's Residence, and the law enforcement officials who've worked to investigate this attack."
Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline estimated the damage to the historic residence will cost millions. The 29,000-square-foot home, completed in 1968 along the Susquehanna River waterfront, houses numerous historic artworks and furniture pieces.
"[Balmer] is a domestic terrorist," Enterline declared. "And I hope he spends a lot of time behind jail for the heinous acts that he performed here in our capital city that put not only the first family, but my firefighters at risk."
President Donald Trump condemned the attack from the Oval Office on Monday. "The attacker basically wasn't a fan of anybody, probably just a whack job," Trump said. "And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen."
Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens explained Sunday that before turning himself in, the suspected arsonist had scaled a fence and "evaded troopers" searching the property before the fire started. Security footage captured a man, later confirmed to be Balmer, breaking a window in the residence's piano room and throwing a homemade Molotov cocktail inside. Court documents indicate Balmer then broke another window, entered the residence, and ignited another incendiary device in the dining room.
Balmer, a longtime Harrisburg resident, served eight years as a construction equipment repairer in the Army Reserve, according to an Army spokesperson cited by CBS News. Public records suggest an unstable background, including custody disputes over his children and a near home foreclosure.
Christie Balmer, the suspect's mother, told CBS News that her son is "mentally ill and he went off his medication" before attacking the Governor's Residence, claiming she had unsuccessfully tried to get her son "picked up" by four different police departments last week. "So he was mentally ill, went off his meds, and this is what happened," she said.
Balmer's next court appearance is scheduled for April 23. State police officials have launched a security review of the incident.
