Police in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, are still working to piece together the arson and attempted homicide attack on the governor’s residence as details about the suspect’s possible motive and criminal history come to light.
Cody Balmer, 38, who is suspected of arson, was out on bail when he allegedly set the governor’s residence ablaze on April 13. Additionally, Balmer was already expected to appear in court this week over a 2023 assault charge.
According to an affidavit obtained by Fox News on the 2023 charge, a 13-year-old called police to report that his stepfather was beating his mother. Police wrote that the mother, identified in the affidavit as Adrian, was in an “elevated state, yelling and crying about her husband.” Balmer had allegedly taken a full bottle of pills in a suicide attempt before the argument broke out. He is accused of “violently” shoving and punching the 13-year-old, punching Adrian and stepping on his 10-year-old child’s previously broken leg.
Cody Balmer, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism, and related offenses for allegedly setting fire to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s, official residence on April 13, 2025. (Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office)
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A lieutenant at the Penbrook Police Station told Fox News that Balmer’s mother called police prior to the arson attack because he was not taking his medication, and she was concerned about his mental health.
Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Gragg details the video of the arson attack, Balmer’s 911 call and an interview with Balmer in warrants obtained by Fox News.
Surveillance video described in the warrant allegedly shows Balmer breaking a window at the governor’s residence before throwing “an incendiary device” inside. According to the warrant, Balmer then broke another window, entered the residence and deployed another incendiary device before he “approached the dining room exit.” The warrant also states that a woman – seemingly identified as Balmer’s “ex-paramour” – said he confessed to committing the attack and asked her to call police to turn him in.
Fire damage inside the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion is shown, after an apparent arson attack early Sunday morning. (Commonwealth Media Services)
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The second warrant describes Balmer’s interview with troopers in which he allegedly admitted to “harboring hatred towards” Gov. Josh Shapiro. Additionally, Balmer also reportedly said that he planned to beat the governor with his hammer if he were discovered in the residence. Balmer also allegedly told an unnamed trooper that he was responsible for the arson attack.
PennLive obtained a search warrant for Balmer’s devices that could point to his motive for Sunday’s attack. He allegedly targeted Shapiro, who is Jewish, because of “what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.”
According to PennLive, in the warrant for Balmer’s devices, Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Benjamin Forsythe said the suspect targeted Shapiro over “perceived injustices to the people of Palestine.” Forsythe also allegedly pointed to the governor’s Jewish faith as a possible motive behind Balmer’s attack, but apparently did not elaborate.
Gov. Josh Shapiro gets an update on the act of attack on the governor’s residence, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, April 13, 2025. (Commonwealth Media Services/Handout via Reuters)
“This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society,” Shapiro said. “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 is not OK and it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”
Fox News’ Maria Paronich, Kitty Le Claire and Chelsea Torres contributed to this report.