Arsonist prepared to hammer Pennsylvania governor, police say

A man admitted to police that he set fire on Sunday to the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, according to court documents released Monday. Cody Balmer, 38, told police he hated Shapiro, and that if the governor found him in his house, he would have beaten the governor with a hammer. 

Balmer told police he walked an hour to the governor’s residence in the early hours of Sunday morning, broke two windows with a hammer, and threw in a homemade Molotov cocktail. He allegedly entered the house through the second window and threw another incendiary device in the dining room before running away, court documents said. Video surveillance captured the entire attack. Police later recovered from Balmer’s home a small sledgehammer and clothes identical to those shown in surveillance footage, according to court documents.

Was Shapiro home during the attack? Shapiro and his family were asleep in another part of the building, the governor said at a Sunday news conference. They had celebrated a Passover Seder with friends and relatives the previous evening in one of the rooms that burned. Troopers from Shapiro’s security detail banged on their door around 2 a.m., woke them, and evacuated the family safely. The fire significantly damaged the governor’s residence.

What else did Shapiro say about the attack? Shapiro thanked FBI Director Kash Patel for his personal sympathy and assistance in the investigation. Shapiro said his family was traumatized from the incident, but overwhelmed by the amount of support and prayers they’d received. If the attack was motivated by religious and political animus, Shapiro would not back down from his beliefs or goals as governor, he said.

How did the police catch the suspect? Balmer’s ex-girlfriend called police and told them he was responsible for the attack and wanted her to alert authorities, according to court documents. Balmer then approached a state police trooper to turn himself in. He was then taken to Harrisburg, Pa. to be interviewed.

What charges does Balmer face? The suspect was charged with several crimes including attempted murder, aggravated assault, and terrorism, according to the court records. He is presumed legally innocent until proven guilty in court. He was being held at Dauphin County Prison on Monday, awaiting arraignment.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s update on the court case of a man who attempted to murder Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.