Arson Suspect Told Police He Targeted Pennsylvania Governor to Defend Palestinians
Cody Balmer said he set Josh Shapiro’s mansion ablaze to send a message about Palestinians
Attorney General Pam Bondi expressed concern and offered support to Gov. Shapiro.
The man charged with setting the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion on fire said he did so in defense of Palestinians.
The suspect Cody Balmer called 911 on Sunday, the day of the attack, and said he needed Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Jewish Democrat, to know that he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” Pennsylvania State Police wrote in an affidavit released Wednesday. It couldn’t be determined what the suspect was referencing.
Balmer broke into the governor’s residence while the Shapiros were asleep upstairs on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover. He lit several fires using Molotov cocktails, leaving substantial damage in at least two rooms. No one was injured. He ran away after setting the fires and later turned himself in to police, authorities said.
Shapiro said Wednesday that he wouldn’t let the fire stop him from doing his job and he told his children they were safe.
“Nothing he could do would deter me from proudly and openly practicing my faith,” he said.
Gov.
Josh Shapiro and his family were asleep in the residence early Sunday
when a man with a hammer and Molotov cocktails lit several fires,
according to court records. Photo: Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images
Pro-Palestinian advocates have condemned how Shapiro handled protests in the state. The governor criticized former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill over antisemitism on campus.
Balmer faces state charges including terrorism, arson and attempted murder, according to court records. He said if he had encountered Shapiro during the attack he would have beaten the governor with a hammer, police wrote in a criminal complaint. He is being held in a county prison and was denied bail, according to court records.
Mary Klatt, the chief public defender in Dauphin County, said a court would determine whether Balmer is competent to stand trial. “The allegations, if true, demonstrate the devastating consequences of severe mental illness,” she said.
Balmer could still face federal charges if the Justice Department pursues a case.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has targeted what she views as politically motivated offenses aimed at President Trump’s circle. Asked about the arson at an unrelated press conference Wednesday, Bondi expressed concern but stopped short of calling it domestic terrorism, a term she has repeatedly used in describing firebombings at Tesla dealerships across the country.
The Justice Department has charged those cases federally, but Bondi didn’t say whether prosecutors would launch their own federal probe into the arson. Bondi said she and FBI Director Kash Patel both reached out to Shapiro to offer their sympathy after the “absolutely horrific” attack.
“We’ve been praying for Josh, for his family,” Bondi said. “We are working with state authorities to do anything we can do to help convict the person that did this and keep them behind bars.”
Balmer has faced several charges over the years, including forgery and attempted theft, for which he was sentenced to probation, and simple assault, a continuing case. He was due in state court this week for allegedly driving with a suspended or revoked license.
In the 911 call Balmer made Sunday, he said he needed to stop having his friends killed. He ended the call saying, “You all know where to find me. I’m not hiding and I will confess to everything that I had done.”
Balmer isn’t registered to any political party, according to Pennsylvania voter records. A hardware store owner gave a tip to police that Balmer was a former employee and had a storage locker at the owner’s facility, according to the affidavit.
Authorities searched Balmer’s home the day after the attack and seized multiple devices and a hard drive.
Write to Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com and Sadie Gurman at sadie.gurman@wsj.com
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Appeared in the April 17, 2025, print edition as 'Arson Suspect Cited Palestinian Cause'.
Cody Balmer, who was charged with setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, told police he did so in defense of Palestinians.
Balmer, who faces state charges including terrorism, said he would have attacked Gov. Shapiro.