The Josh Shapiro Arson Attack: What We Know. And What We Don’t.
Terrorism and attempted murder charges. Beer bottles filled with gasoline. And a suspect who says he would have beaten Shapiro with a hammer.
Part of the damage caused by an arsonist at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s Harrisburg residence. / Photograph courtesy of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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What We Do and Don’t Know About the Josh Shapiro Arson Attack
The arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s house quickly made national — and even international — news on Sunday. And here’s what we know so far:
- The attack occurred in the early morning hours on Sunday. Governor Shapiro and his family were sleeping at his official residence in Harrisburg. Shapiro said he wasn’t even aware that there was a fire until a state trooper woke the family up just after 2 a.m. and evacuated them from the house.
- At a press conference late on Sunday afternoon, authorities revealed that they had reviewed surveillance footage. According to investigators, the arsonist actively evaded security outside the property. He scaled a fence, broke a window on one side of the house, and threw something into the house through the broken window, igniting a fire. Then he broke a window on another side of the house, threw another object through that, and ignited a second fire. (Those objects turned out to be beer bottles filled with gasoline.) Then he fled the scene.
- By the time Governor Shapiro and other officials held that press conference, police had already identified and arrested a suspect: 38-year-old Cody Balmer of Harrisburg. Prosecutors charged Balmer with aggravated arson, terrorism, recklessly endangering another person, attempted murder, burglary, and prowling. If you’re wondering about the terrorism charge, investigators say that applies because the arson was committed with the intention of influencing government “by intimidation or coercion.”
- According to an affidavit of probably cause filed in the case, Balmer’s “ex-paramour” called police to tell them that Balmer told her that he was the arsonist. Balmer turned himself in and allegedly admitted that he had caused the fires, chillingly added that he would have beaten Shapiro with a hammer had Shapiro found him in the residence.
- What we don’t know at this point is… why? There’s lots of speculation about motive, and Shapiro definitely alluded to antisemitism as a strong candidate for motive. “This type of violence is not okay,” Shapiro said at Sunday’s press conference. “This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. 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’s not okay. And it has to stop… If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night? Hear me on this: We celebrated our faith last night proudly, and in a few hours, we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover, again, proudly.” Police said that Balmer admitted to having “hatred” for Shapiro.
- Because this is 2025, conspiracy theories about the Shapiro arson attack have crept up, including one suggesting that Shapiro set the fire himself. Idiotic.
This is a developing story that may be updated at any time.
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