A Pennsylvania man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and aggravated arson in connection to a fire that was started at Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence on Sunday.
Cody Allen Balmer, 38, turned himself into police in Harrisburg after his ex-partner called authorities to inform them Balmer had admitted to committing the attack, according to an affidavit.
Shapiro, his wife, four children and two dogs, were sleeping when the fire broke out on the first floor of the governor’s mansion. While the fire caused significant damage, nobody was injured and the Shapiros were safely evacuated.
Balmer was reportedly angry with the governor and told law enforcement officials he would have beaten Shapiro with a hammer if he confronted him directly.
In a news conference on Sunday, Shapiro denounced Balmer’s actions, saying violence “is not ok” and “we have to be better than this.”
Here’s what else we know.
Who is Cody Balmer?
Balmer was a mechanic from Harrisburg, according to a Facebook page that appears to belong to him.
Kindermans Auto Repair, a vehicle repair shop in Harrisburg, said that Balmer was a former employee who had not worked there for more than two years.
“While we are saddened to learn of these current charges, we fully support our men and women in law enforcement as well as our government officials,” Kindermans Auto Repair wrote.
Balmer was a registered voter but was not affiliated with a specific party, according to records.
Balmer was ‘methodical’
According to the affidavit, Balmer admitted to removing gasoline from a lawn mower and pouring it into beer bottles at his home before embarking on an hour-long walk to the governor’s mansion.
Security camera footage captured Balmer, dressed in a black jacket and pants, climbing over a fence on the residence’s property, breaking a window and throwing a homemade Molotov cocktail through the window.
He then broke another window, climbed through and deployed a second Molotov cocktail device in the dining room of the home.
Balmer then kicked open the dining room door and exited the governor’s mansion.
Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said Balmer was inside the residence for less than one minute and “actively evaded” state troopers even while they were searching for him on the property.
“He clearly had a plan,” Bivens added. “He was very methodical in his approach.”
Balmer told authorities he was aware that his actions could have injured someone. He also admitted he knew it was possible Shapiro or his family could be home at the time of the act, police said.
Balmer has previous charges
Court records indicate Balmer had previous charges, including a 2015 guilty plea to forgery and theft by deception and a 2023 simple assault charge.
Balmer was arrested just days before he was expected to appear in court and enter a plea for the 2023 charge.
Social media posts appear to criticize the government
Posts on a Facebook profile that appear to belong to Balmer contain criticisms of the government, specifically about the high cost of living.
In one Facebook post, Balmer shared an image that contained text reading, “Joe Biden owes me 2 grand.”
In other posts that Balmer shared, he appeared to have favorable views toward guns and fire.
In 2022, Balmer shared a post that depicted a needlepoint version of a Molotov cocktail with text that read, “Be the light you want to see in the world.”
