Police say Pennsylvania arson suspect would have attacked governor with a hammer

Police say a man arrested for allegedly setting a dangerous fire at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion would have attacked Governor Josh Shapiro with a hammer if he had found him inside.

Cody Balmer, 38, has been charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault.

Authorities say Balmer used Molotov cocktails to start the blaze.

Shapiro, his wife, his four children and guests and staff members were able to escape unscathed, but the official residence in the state capital of Harrisburg was severely damaged.

According to a police report, Balmer, a Harrisburg resident, walked for about an hour from his home, scaled a perimeter fence, used a hammer to break two windows and set the building alight at around 01:30 local time Sunday.

He initially evaded state troopers but turned himself into authorities several hours later. Police say they searched Balmer’s home and found clothes and a hammer which match items that the attacker was seen wearing and holding on surveillance video captured at the governor’s residence.

An ex-girlfriend of Balmer contacted police and said that Balmer was responsible for setting the fire, according to the police report.

Authorities did not identify a motive.

In an interview with CBS, the BBC’s US news partner, Cody Balmer’s mother Christie Balmer said that her son struggles with mental illness and recently stopped taking psychiatric medication.

“This would have never happened if I could have gotten some help the middle of last week because I tried to get him picked up [by police] … and I went through four police departments and I couldn’t get anybody to help,” she said.

“So he was mentally ill, went off his meds, and this is what happened,” she said.

A Facebook account that matches the name, location and other personal details of the suspect included a number of posts both criticising former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and mocking supporters of President Donald Trump, a Republican.

Among dozens and dozens of jokes, memes and garden-variety Facebook content, the account included several posts criticising both political parties and referencing conspiracy theories, weapons and political violence.

At a news conference on Sunday, Shapiro said he was not “fearful” but said: “I’m obviously emotional, worried about my family. I want my kids to be OK.”

“I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone attempted to put on me by attacking us as they did last night,” he told reporters.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, said his family had celebrated the first night of Passover just hours before the arson attack.

The governor, a Democrat, was among the top contenders to be Kamala Harris’s running mate during the 2024 election but was ultimately passed over in favour of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. He has frequently been mentioned as a possible future presidential candidate.

Shapiro said FBI Director Kash Patel had promised “all the resources of the federal government” in investigating the attack.

“This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society,” Shapiro 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, or one particular person or another. It is not okay, and it has to stop.”

In an online post, Pam Bondi, the attorney general, praised the swift work of police and wrote: “I am deeply relieved that Governor Shapiro and his family are safe.”

The western Pennsylvania city of Butler was the site of an assassination attempt against Donald Trump in July 2024. The gunman in that attack was killed on the scene and his motive is still unclear.

The governor’s residence in Harrisburg is a 29,000-sq-ft (2,700-sq-m) Georgian-style home built in 1968.

Shapiro has served as Pennsylvania’s governor since 2023, after working as the state’s attorney general.