A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to decades in prison after admitting guilt in the April arson attack targeting Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence in Harrisburg.
Cody A. Balmer, 38, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including attempted murder, aggravated arson, 22 counts of arson, burglary, and several related offenses, according to the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office. As part of a plea agreement, Balmer received a 25 to 50-year state prison sentence, prosecutors confirmed Tuesday.
Authorities said Balmer broke into the Governor’s official residence during the early morning hours of April 13, the second day of Passover, and set parts of the home on fire. Governor Shapiro, who is Jewish, had hosted a Passover Seder at the home the evening before, officials noted.
Surveillance video released by the District Attorney’s Office shows Balmer scaling a fence around the property, approaching the house, and smashing a window with a sledgehammer before throwing a Molotov cocktail inside, igniting flames.
The footage also captured Balmer breaking a second window and entering the residence. Once inside, he reportedly struck at two interior doors — one leading to the area where the Governor’s family and guests were sleeping — but failed to break through.
Before leaving, Balmer lit a second Molotov cocktail in the dining area, sparking another blaze, investigators said. The attack caused significant structural damage to the historic residence, though the full extent was not disclosed publicly.
Firefighters responded quickly and managed to contain the flames before the building was completely destroyed.
At the time of the attack, Governor Shapiro, First Lady Lori Shapiro, their three children, 15 overnight guests, and two Pennsylvania State Police troopers were inside. Everyone escaped unharmed, according to officials.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, Shapiro reflected on the attack, calling it deeply personal and difficult to comprehend.
“It’s hard for me to stand before you and say the words ‘attempted murder’ when it’s your own life,” Shapiro said beside his wife. “Knowing that someone tried to kill me is something I’ve struggled to make sense of.”
He added that the experience left him with “an enormous sense of guilt” — guilt that his public role may have put his family in danger.
A defense attorney for Balmer did not respond to media requests for comment.
Investigators said Balmer turned himself in to the Pennsylvania State Police roughly 12 hours after the attack. During questioning, he admitted harboring hatred toward Governor Shapiro and said that, had he encountered him, he “would have beaten him with his hammer,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
Authorities believe Balmer was motivated by anger over Shapiro’s public stance on the war in Gaza. The governor had condemned antisemitic rhetoric in U.S. protests following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, calling for unity and rejecting extremism on all sides.
The attack drew widespread condemnation from lawmakers across the political spectrum and renewed concern about the rise of political violence in the United States.
In June, for example, Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband, and their dog were shot and killed in their home in what officials described as a politically motivated act.
On Tuesday, Shapiro urged Americans to resist becoming desensitized to such violence.
“Before this attack, those risks felt theoretical — something that happened elsewhere, to someone else,” he said. “Sadly, this made it all real.”
