Update: A suspect was arrested.
Col. Christopher Paris, state police commissioner, said at an afternoon news conference that Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, was arrested Sunday.
.@GovernorShapiro addressing the arson incident at his home last night in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
SUSPECT ARRESTED: Cody Balmer age 38
4.13.25 520 pm ET pic.twitter.com/UExNHDckSi
— Jeff Storobinsky (@jeffstorobinsky) April 13, 2025
Balmer hasn’t been charged, but Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said he plans to charge him with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person.
Cody Balmer was reportedly angry over the state’s auctioning of his property. A court document from Harrisburg surfaced, linking the auction to Balmer’s motive.
Original Story
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and his family awoke to the sound of police banging on their door as they responded to the fire at the mansion in Harrisburg.
The mansion was set on fire early Sunday while he and his family were inside, he said. The state police investigated it as arson.
“While the investigation is ongoing, the State Police is prepared to say at this time that this was an act of arson,” the release states.
Firefighters arrived at 2 am.
Officials extinguished the fire, which they said was in a different part of the residence than Shapiro and his family, but it caused “a significant amount of damage.” The investigation is ongoing.
“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” Shapiro said in a statement Sunday morning. “Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities.”
Last night at about 2AM, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was on the scene and while they worked to put out the fire, we were…
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) April 13, 2025
It’s Passover
On Saturday, Shapiro, who is Jewish, posted a photo online of his family’s table for Seder, a ceremonial dinner marking the Passover holiday.
From the Shapiro family’s Seder table to yours, happy Passover and Chag Pesach Sameach! pic.twitter.com/2II1Id1W23
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) April 12, 2025
“While the fire was successfully extinguished, it caused a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence,” according to a PSP Tips Facebook page.
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