No motive has been ascribed for the attack on the mansion, which came hours after the Shapiro family’s Passover dinner.
The man accused of carrying out an arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion in Harrisburg over the weekend admitted “harboring hatred” against the governor, officials said in court documents.
Cody Balmer, 38, was arrested and charged with aggravated arson, attempted murder, terrorism, and related charges, Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said in a statement.
Court documents that were submitted by the district attorney’s office in Balmer’s case allege that hBalmer “intentionally deployed several incendiary devices inside the governor’s residence causing significant fire damage” that placed Shapiro, his family, “and anyone else in the residence at risk of death.”
On Sunday morning, Shapiro, a Democrat, released a statement on social media platform X that he and his family were evacuated after first responders arrived at the scene of the fire.
Shapiro, who had been celebrating Passover with his family, said that the attack occurred hours after their dinner. Court documents did not suggest the attack was anti-Semitic, and Shapiro later told reporters that the arsonist’s specific motive was not clear.
Balmer allegedly “admitted to harboring hatred towards” the governor when speaking with state troopers and that he carried out the attack. Balmer said that he filled Heineken beer bottles with gasoline before walking approximately one hour to the governor’s residence.
Once he approached the fence, he scaled it, broke two windows of the mansion, and then threw the Molotov cocktails inside, he allegedly told police, according to court documents.
When asked about whether he was aware that Shapiro and his family could have been inside the building when he tossed the incendiary devices, Balmer said that he was aware that it could have been possible, the court documents state.
After police asked him what he may have done if he had found Shapiro, Balmer responded by saying that he would have attacked the governor with his hammer, the document said.
