# Arson Attack at Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence Triggers Terrorism and Attempted Homicide Charges
*Event date: 2025-04-13*
By IO Digest Desk
Pennsylvania authorities said an overnight attack on the governor's official residence in Harrisburg escalated from an arson investigation into a case that includes attempted homicide and terrorism charges after investigators alleged that a suspect broke into the property and set multiple fires while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were inside. The family was evacuated around 2 a.m., and Shapiro said no one was injured, but the residence sustained significant damage.
According to the supplied report, the incident came only hours after the Shapiro family had hosted a Passover dinner at the home. Prosecutors said the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Cody A. Balmer, climbed onto the property in the early morning, broke a window with a hammer and threw a Molotov cocktail into the residence. Investigators said he then entered the building and started two more fires before fleeing. The account in the source ties the allegations to a criminal affidavit filed by the Dauphin County district attorney's office.
The severity of the charges reflects both the method and the target described by law enforcement. Balmer was charged with criminal attempt-criminal homicide, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and related offenses. District Attorney Fran Chardo said at a news conference that federal charges could also follow. The supplied evidence states that video surveillance captured the perpetrator wearing a distinctive Snap-On jacket and that Balmer was later taken into custody in Harrisburg.
Investigators also described the case as one with direct personal danger to the governor and his household rather than a remote act of vandalism. The affidavit cited in the report said Balmer admitted his actions and told troopers he would have beaten Shapiro with a hammer had he encountered him. Prosecutors also said he admitted harboring hatred toward the governor, though the supplied excerpt did not provide further explanation for that statement.
The break-in sequence outlined in the report shows how quickly the attack moved. Authorities said Balmer surveilled the residence before unlawfully entering the grounds over a wall. He then approached a south-side window, used a hammer to shatter it and ignited a substantial fire inside with an incendiary device. By the time the family was awakened by loud banging on the door and evacuated, multiple fires had already been set.
The attack immediately drew a broader state and federal response. Shapiro said he spoke with FBI Director Kash Patel, who offered federal resources. Pennsylvania State Police said they were conducting parallel arson, attempted homicide and aggravated arson investigations, underscoring how officials were treating the case as more than a standard property crime. The fact that the target was the governor's residence, with the governor's family inside, shaped both the political and security significance of the incident.
Based on the supplied evidence, the April 13 attack became a fast-moving, high-profile criminal case centered on alleged premeditation, incendiary weapons and danger to a sitting governor's family. The central reported facts in this draft are drawn from source 4561. Source cited: 4561.
