Pennsylvania man charged with attempting to kill Gov. Josh Shapiro told police he hated him and would have beaten him

Gillian McGoldrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 14, 2025

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PHILADELPHIA — The Harrisburg man who is charged with attempted homicide of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family for setting three fires in the residence turned himself in to State Police on Sunday afternoon and admitted to "harboring a hatred" toward Shapiro, according to the criminal complaint filed Sunday.

Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, evaded police while on the property, breaking a window and throwing a Heineken beer bottle filled with gasoline into the piano room in a wing of the governor's mansion in Harrisburg, according to the criminal complaint. He then went to the attached dining room, broke a window, entered the residence, and lit two more homemade "Molotov cocktails" before fleeing on foot.

It's unclear how State Police, who have a 24/7 detail assigned to Shapiro and additional security at the governor's residence, allowed Balmer to enter the property, start a fire, then break into the building and start two more fires before fleeing on foot without apprehension.

According to the complaint, Balmer's "ex-paramour" called police and said that Balmer had confessed to her and wanted her to call police to turn him in. Balmer then appeared at State Police headquarters in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon to turn himself in, the complaint said.

Balmer told investigators he hated Shapiro and that if he found him at the property early Sunday morning, he would have "beaten him with a hammer" he had brought with him to break into the residence, according to the complaint.

He also told police he walked an hour to the residence early Sunday before scaling a fence on the property, breaking in to start the fires, and fleeing on foot.

Balmer started the fires on the first night of Passover. State Police said Sunday that "all avenues" were being explored as for Balmer's motive, including potential hate crimes. The criminal complaint filed Sunday notes that Balmer hated Shapiro, but does not detail whether it is in relation to his Judaism.

Shapiro, who was uninjured, had been staying in the residence that night with his family and some extended family, following the start of the Jewish holiday. He had hosted a Passover Seder in the same room that Balmer admitted to burning down with homemade incendiary devices.

The extent of the damage on the 29,000-square-foot mansion along the Susquehanna River was unclear early Monday. At a news conference Sunday, Shapiro appeared with law enforcement officials in front of a blackened door and charred and broken windows.

Shapiro, in emotional remarks, condemned the incident during the news conference, saying, "This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society ... We have to be better than this. And we have a responsibility to all be better."

"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," Shapiro added.

Shapiro thanked President Donald Trump and federal authorities for supporting State Police in the investigation. He told reporters Sunday he spoke to FBI Director Kash Patel, who "was extremely kind and courteous and thoughtful in his conversation with me."

On Sunday evening, Vice President JD Vance condemned the "really disgusting violence" on X, writing: "Thanks be to God that Governor Shapiro and his family were unharmed in this attack."

Balmer has faced criminal charges on several occasions over the last decade, including for assault, forgery, and traffic-related offenses.

In 2023, Balmer was charged with three counts of simple assault in a case that is ongoing in Dauphin County. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to one felony count of forgery and was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

The governor lives in the Harrisburg residence when he is not at his home in Abington Township. He has four children, two of whom are still minors who attend school in Montgomery County.

He also often uses the residence for events, including as a place for budget negotiations, which are set to begin in the coming months.