Contact The Editor
Articles By This Author
The man accused of setting fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence Sunday indicated he was motivated by his views on the Israel-Gaza war and believed Shapiro needed to stop the killing of Palestinians, a newly unveiled search warrant says.
Cody Balmer, 38, made the declarations in a 911 call after he left the property, in which he reported his own attack to dispatchers. He allegedly said Shapiro needed to know that he "will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people," police wrote in the warrant.
Balmer - who reportedly struggled with untreated mental illness - said the governor needed to stop having his friends killed and said "our people have been put through too much by that monster," according to the affidavit. He also said, "All he has is a banquet hall to clean up." Balmer allegedly identified himself by name and told the dispatcher he would "confess to everything that I had done."
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Shapiro (D) said he would leave it to prosecutors to determine the meaning of Balmer's statements and his motive.
"This kind of violence has no place in our society regardless of what motivates it," Shapiro said. He said he had been focused on his family members, who were uninjured as they evacuated the smoking home around 2 a.m. Sunday.
The attack, which police said could have killed people inside the home, was the most serious on a U.S. elected official since the apparent assassination attempts on now-President Donald Trump during last year's campaign. Its timing following the first night of Passover - hours after the Shapiros had hosted a large Passover seder - disquieted Jewish Democrats and other elected officials.
Shapiro has expressed support for Israel, and last year pushed for the University of Pennsylvania to disband a pro-Palestinian encampment. When he was under consideration last year to be the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Shapiro had described Palestinians as "too battle-minded" in a 1993 opinion piece in his college newspaper. His office told the Inquirer that his views had evolved and said Shapiro supports a two-state solution that would allow Israelis and Palestinians to peacefully coexist.
The arson, which severely damaged two rooms and historical artifacts, also raised questions about how such an extraordinary security breach could have occurred at the governor's residence. The Pennsylvania State Police announced plans Wednesday to hire a third-party expert to conduct an independent review. Shapiro said he expected improvements to be made and said he believed the review was warranted. He said the state was working quickly to repair the home and assess the damage to artifacts.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that she and FBI Director Kash Patel had spoken to Shapiro in the days since the fire and offered the full assistance of federal authorities in the investigation.
"We have been praying for Josh and his family," she said, during an unrelated news conference. "I firmly believe they wanted to kill him."
But when questioned by reporters, Bondi sidestepped the opportunity to describe the arson as an act of domestic terrorism - a term she has used liberally when discussing a series of molotov-cocktail attacks on Tesla dealerships across the country.
"We are working with state authorities to do … anything we can to help convict the person who did this and keep them behind bars as long as possible," she said.
On Monday, Trump said such violence "cannot be allowed" but did not mention Shapiro by name. Shapiro said Wednesday he had not heard from Trump.
Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said there were no plans to file additional charges against Balmer related to his 911 call as of Wednesday morning. Adding an ethnic intimidation charge would have increased other charges by one grade, but Balmer already faces charges of the highest degrees, including five first-degree felonies, Chardo said. He added that the content of the search warrant could become relevant during trial and sentencing, if the case proceeds to those stages.
Police seized four cellphones, a laptop and an external hard drive from the Balmer home Monday, according to the warrant, and planned to search Balmer's electronic devices for any mention of Shapiro, Palestine, Israel or the Israel-Gaza war. They also searched a storage locker but did not take anything, according to a second search warrant.
Balmer's 911 call was made just under an hour after Shapiro's family was evacuated from the residence. Balmer - who left the governor's home without being apprehended after breaking in and throwing molotov cocktails - also allegedly called an ex-girlfriend to ask her to report him and turned himself in at a police station, police said in the affidavit of probable cause.
Balmer was arraigned Monday on charges of attempted homicide, arson and other counts. He did not enter a plea and is confined in county prison. He does not have an attorney listed in court and had not requested a public defender.
Balmer appeared to have had mental health struggles, and in 2023 was charged with assault of a romantic partner and two children. At the time, he told police he had taken a bottle of pills in a suicide attempt before punching his relatives, court records show. He has not entered a plea in that case, which is ongoing.
His brother told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Balmer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated at a psychiatric hospital, but "doesn't believe he's bipolar, so he doesn't take his medicine." Cody Balmer had exhibited other concerning behavior such as believing his sister-in-law was a witch who had cast a spell on him, said his brother, Dan Balmer.
Dan Balmer also said Cody Balmer was politically independent and had urged his family to vote for Donald Trump in November.
Balmer allegedly walked an hour from his home to the governor's official residence in Harrisburg, the state capital, in Sunday's early hours. He allegedly climbed a perimeter fence and used a hammer to break a window of the residence's piano room and threw a molotov cocktail inside, then broke another window and climbed into the house. He threw another homemade fire-starter in the dining room, then left and climbed back over the fence, police said security-camera footage showed.
Balmer later allegedly told police that he had planned to beat Shapiro with the hammer if he had encountered him in the house. Authorities said Balmer moved quickly, exiting the home swiftly after he attacked. Balmer's alleged movements were captured on security cameras; the state police have declined to release the footage.
"This level of violence has to end," Shapiro said. "And it has to be roundly condemned by everyone. Both political parties."