HARRISBURG, Pa. — The man accused of breaking in and setting fire to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside has been identified as 38-year-old Cody Allen Balmer of Penbrook, Pennsylvania, according to court documents reported by The Wall Street Journal:
Cody Balmer, 38, broke into the Harrisburg, Pa., residence early Sunday with a hammer and Molotov cocktails and lit several fires, according to court records. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and his family were asleep upstairs and didn’t encounter Balmer, authorities said. Balmer told investigators he would have beaten Shapiro with a hammer if he had found the governor.
“Balmer admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro,” Pennsylvania State Police wrote in a criminal complaint released Monday.
Shapiro appeared shaken at a news briefing on Sunday. “We experienced an attack not just on our family but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” he said. He said a state trooper banged on the door and told his family to evacuate. The flames were brought under control after around 20 minutes. No one was injured.
Politicians on all sides condemned the attempted attack on the governor. Some denounced the country’s rising political violence.
Investigators said Balmer scaled the security fence surrounding the mansion, forced his way inside and used gasoline-filled Heineken bottles to start the fire.
The blaze caused significant damage to the south side of the Georgian-style residence, though Shapiro, his wife and their children were safely evacuated by Pennsylvania State Police around 2 a.m.
Authorities described Balmer’s actions as deliberate and premeditated.
“He clearly had a plan, and he was very methodical in his approach,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters.
Balmer has a prior criminal record, including a 2023 assault charge and a 2016 conviction for forgery and theft.
Balmer’s mother told reporters he suffers from mental illness and had stopped taking his prescribed medication, despite her efforts to get him treatment.
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Lunatic.
Violence is violence and must not be tolerated. Hopefully, this horrible event will wake up the Democrats to STOP ALL VIOLENCE in the USA. No one is exempt.None of it should be tolerated.
The perp has verified mental illness. However, cent polls of Democrats say over 50% think it would be ok to assinated the current POTUS !!! Where does all this violence and hatred come from? They are out of their minds. Are they ALL mentally ill? Socially ill? TDS?
Thank God that Governor Shapiro and his family is safe. Now, let’s get the government working on curing these social ills and addressing the violence that has been tolerated by government officials for the last decade.
We need to be the UNITED States of America.
IT was only a matter of TIME before the HATE and LOVE OF VIOLENCE the DEMS embrace and support came around to them too! WISE UP Democrats,and stop promoting HATE and VIOLENCE everywhere!! Once youi open the “PANDORA’S” box of promoting HATE and espousing the notion that fellow Americans, your political “enemies” “DESERVE DEATH”, that metastasizes to ANYONE you disagree with deserves “DEATH”, GLorifying murderers and supporting them with MOney and demonstrations of support for evil SPREADS. As the saying goes…” when you ‘point your finger, ther are THREE fingers pointing back at you”. Wise up Leftists!!
“… When they sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind; …”
Obviously a domestic terrorist right wing republican.