CNN
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The man charged with setting fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence has been denied bail over concerns for the safety of the suspect and the Harrisburg community.
During an arraignment hearing Monday, Magistrate District Judge Dale Klein recommended that Cody Balmer remain in jail for the time being.
Balmer, 38, faces charges of attempted homicide, aggravated arson, terrorism and other crimes after police say he climbed over a fence, broke into the governor’s mansion in the early hours of Sunday morning and set the fire with a homemade Molotov cocktail he fashioned from lawnmower gasoline and beer bottles.
Balmer did not enter a plea on Monday. His attorney, Colton Whitener, told CNN prior to the hearing, “We are declining any comments regarding the allegations against Mr. Balmer until more information is learned.”
The Harrisburg native turned himself in to police, authorities have said. A preliminary hearing in Balmer’s case is set for April 23.
Shapiro, his wife Lori, their four children, two dogs and another family were forced to evacuate the state-owned Harrisburg residence, which was significantly damaged by the fire, hours after the family hosted a Passover dinner, the governor said. No injuries were reported.
Balmer has admitted to “harboring hatred” for Shapiro, and said he would have beaten the governor with a hammer if they had encountered one another and knew it was possible the governor was home at the time, he said, and that people could have been hurt, court records allege.
Authorities are still working to identify a motive and are looking into whether Balmer was motivated by antisemitism, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo.
“I can’t speak to it directly because it’s not of record,” Chardo told CNN on Monday. “We’re looking at the possibility that it was geared towards the governor’s religion and his views on Israel.”
A source familiar with the investigation said there was not yet an indication antisemitism was a factor in the incident, but said the investigation into Balmer and his motives remained ongoing.
Investigators believe mental health issues may be a factor, according to a source familiar with the investigation. Officials were struck by how casual and relaxed the suspect was throughout the ordeal, the source said.
Balmer’s mother, Christie Balmer, told CBS News her son “was mentally ill, went off his meds and this is what happened.” The suspect’s mother said she reached out to multiple police departments last week, in an effort to get him “picked up,” but she “couldn’t get anybody to help.”
When asked whether he had a history of mental illness, Balmer told judge Klein, “that’s the rumor but no.” Balmer also denied abusing drugs or alcohol. When asked about medication, he said, “medication that led me to different types of behavior,” he mumbled.
For the past year, Balmer lived at his parents’ house and worked as a welder at a local body shop, he said during the hearing.
The case is seemingly the latest instance of violence or threats against an American elected official. A prominent Democrat, the 51-year-old Shapiro was one of several candidates considered for former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate during her 2024 presidential bid. He has also been floated as a potential presidential candidate for 2028.
A surge in violent threats against politicians in recent years has included a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, in 2023 and two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, a Republican, last year.
“This type of violence is not OK,” Shapiro said at a news conference Sunday, his voice rising. “We have to be better than this.”
Here’s what we know about the fire at Shapiro’s home and the response by officials:
It took Balmer about an hour to walk from his Harrisburg home to the governor’s residence early Sunday, he told police in an interview outlined in Monday’s affidavit.
When he arrived, Balmer hopped the fence surrounding the residence, broke two windows with a hammer, threw an incendiary device through one of the broken windows – starting a fire – and climbed in through the other to enter the home, according to the affidavit, which cited footage captured by security cameras. Inside, Balmer threw a second incendiary device, causing more flames, the affidavit said.
Balmer then kicked a dining room door down and fled the scene, according to the affidavit.
Balmer was inside the governor’s residence for less than one minute, and “actively evaded” troopers who were searching for him at the same time, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said.
“He clearly had a plan,” Bivens said. “He was very methodical in his approach.”
The suspect was on the property for several minutes before the fires began, according to the source familiar with the investigation. A member of the governor’s security team was seen on closed-circuit footage walking not far from him, the source said, but it’s unclear whether the security officer was responding to a motion sensor or on a routine patrol of the compound.
A caller to emergency services reported a “large fire on the first floor” of the governor’s residence, adding they could “see fire out the windows,” according to audio from the Dauphin County Fire and EMS scanner obtained by CNN.
Shapiro and his family woke up around 2 a.m. Sunday to loud bangs on the door from one of the state troopers assigned to their detail alerting them to the flames, Shapiro told reporters.
Harrisburg Bureau of Fire responded around 2 a.m. and extinguished the flames, according to state police.
A security review is now underway “to determine how we can ensure that we don’t have a repeat situation like this,” Bivens said.
Prior to the incident, the Pennsylvania Capitol Police alerted the governor’s security detail, which patrols the residence and its grounds, of a possible breach of the fence next to a utility pole on the Geiger Street side of the compound, a law enforcement source told CNN Monday.
The state police security detail then sent officers onto the grounds to investigate whether someone was inside the perimeter, according to the source.
At that point, a fire was discovered, and the priority shifted to getting the governor, his family and guests out of the residence, the law enforcement source said.
Shapiro has praised law enforcement for its response. Despite that, the incident is seen by many within the Pennsylvania State Police as a failure, and some personnel could face discipline, according to the source familiar with the investigation.
The governor’s residence has 24/7 security, even when Shapiro is not home, the source said. The property also has numerous security cameras equipped with motion sensor technology that are supposed to be monitored. There have been numerous past instances where the motion sensors were tripped by squirrels and cats, the source said.
After Balmer fled the scene, a woman who identified herself as his ex-partner called police to say Balmer had confessed he started the fire, according to the affidavit.
Balmer then turned himself in to police headquarters, authorities said. Balmer told police he removed gasoline from a lawn mower and poured it into beer bottles to make Molotov cocktails, which he threw into the governor’s home, the affidavit said.
In his interview with police, Balmer admitted to “harboring hatred” towards Shapiro, the affidavit said, without elaborating on reasons for those feelings. Balmer also said he knew it was possible Shapiro and others were home when the fire started, the document said.
“Balmer was asked specifically what he would have done if Governor Shapiro found him inside of his residence, to which (Balmer) advised he would have beaten him with his hammer,” the affidavit reads.
Balmer had expressed disdain for former President Joe Biden, also a Democrat, on social media multiple times since 2021. In one post that January, Balmer wrote in part, “Biden supporters shouldn’t exist. Where were you his first run? Well aware of the trash he is.”
In September 2021, Balmer posted a meme critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The meme shows Biden in a car with text that reads, “Get in, loser. We’re leaving Afghanistan.” The next image shows Biden appearing to drive off, with text that says, “*Drives off without you*.”
Balmer was previously charged on suspicion of assaulting members of his family two years ago after attempting suicide, court records show.
He was arrested and charged with three misdemeanor counts of simple assault in the 2023 case. Available court documents do not indicate whether Balmer entered a plea. The case is pending, and Balmer had a court date for the case scheduled for Wednesday, an administrator with the clerk of Dauphin County told CNN.
Attorney Colton Whitener is also representing Balmer in the 2023 and did not respond to CNN’s request for charges regarding the simple assault charges.
In another case, Balmer pleaded guilty in 2016 to forgery and theft by deception charges, court documents show.
Balmer could also face federal charges in Sunday’s incident, the Dauphin County district attorney said. The FBI’s Philadelphia field office is assisting state police in its investigation, the agency told CNN in an email.
The fire caused “significant fire damage” to the residence’s piano room and the dining room, the affidavit said.
Walls and ceilings are torched, with floors covered in ash and furniture destroyed, photos show. There are remnants of the Passover dinner the governor hosted Saturday – including a “Passover Crafts” sign.
The Pennsylvania governor’s residence is a 29,000 square foot Georgian-style building on the Susquehanna River, which has been home to eight governors and their families since it was completed in 1968, according to the Pennsylvania government.
The residence’s first floor houses both temporary and permanent art exhibits.
In an emotional news conference Sunday, Shapiro said the fire was an attack not just on his family but on “the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
He expressed gratitude for the messages of support and prayers he and his family have received, including from numerous politicians. Vice President JD Vance, a Republican, called the attack “really disgusting violence,” and US Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, described it as “truly appalling.”
“I want you all to know that your prayers lift us up, and in this moment of darkness we are choosing to see light,” Shapiro said, choking up.
Still, Shapiro said he will not be “deterred” by the alleged attack. “If this individual was trying to deter me from doing my job as your governor, rest assured, I will find a way to work even harder than I was,” he said.
The governor also highlighted his pride in his Jewish faith.
“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,” he said.
“No one will deter me or my family, or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly.”
CNN’s Ali Main, Zoe Sottile, Josh Campbell, Sara Smart and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.
