The man charged in the arson attack at the historic Pennsylvania Governor's Residence said he had hatred toward Gov. Josh Shapiro and would have attacked him had they come face-to-face, authorities said Monday.
Cody A. Balmer, 38, is unemployed, has a few nonviolent criminal convictions, was charged with assault in 2023 and, on social media, has displayed simmering antigovernment statements and memes.
He has been charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and other counts in connection with the attack early Sunday, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
In court Monday for preliminary arraignment, county Judge Dale Klein asked Balmer, of Penbrook, Pennsylvania, whether he took any medication for mental illness. Balmer, who said he was not mentally ill, told the judge that he did not, adding that it “led me to different types of behavior" in the past.
Balmer also told Klein that he lived with his parents, that he was unemployed and that his last job was as a welder at a truck body manufacturer.
Balmer said he's single, but when Klein asked whether he has children, he responded, "A lot of them."
He said he had previously been arrested and "missed a few" court dates. Klein read the charges, heard the defense's request for bail and ultimately ruled there would be no bail — Balmer is to stay locked up, with the next court date, most likely a formal arraignment, not yet scheduled.
In denying bail, Klein said Balmer could be a danger to the community and himself.
Authorities alleged that he climbed the fence of the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg, used a hammer to break a window and threw Molotov cocktails inside to start the destructive blaze early Sunday.
The arson attack lasted for several minutes. Shapiro and first lady Lori Shapiro, as well as other guests and staff members, were inside the residence when the fire erupted around 2 a.m. No one was injured, and Shapiro's family was safely evacuated. However, prosecutors said the residence sustained "substantial damage."
The 29,000-square-foot mansion on the Susquehanna River was completed in 1968 and has been the address for eight governors, according to the state. It was designed by architect George Ewing.
Balmer turned himself in to the Pennsylvania State Police on Sunday and admitted to "harboring hatred toward Governor Shapiro," authorities alleged.
Asked during a police interview what he would have done had Shapiro found him inside the residence, "he advised he would have beaten him with his hammer," the probable cause affidavit says.
The attack
Balmer was caught on security cameras both inside and outside the residence, officials said. He was seen wearing a black tools jacket and black boots and carrying a bag.
Security video showed the intruder climbing over an exterior fence, approaching the piano room windows on the south side of the home and breaking an exterior window with a hammer, the criminal affidavit said. He then threw a Molotov cocktail inside. Shortly afterward, flames were seen in the interior of the home, the probable cause affidavit says.
The intruder then moved to an adjacent window, broke the glass and entered the home through the window, the affidavit says. Inside, he deployed a second incendiary device in the dining room, which spurred another fire.
The affidavit says Balmer then moved toward the dining room exit. Video showed him wearing two gloves of different colors — one orange and one yellow. The intruder was seen kicking the dining room door open and exiting the residence. He left the property in the same direction he entered, climbing back over the perimeter fence, running through a parking lot and fleeing the residence in a southeast direction, the affidavit says.
Investigators found two broken glass beer bottles containing gasoline in the dining room.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, had shared Passover well-wishes online Saturday evening just hours before the attack.
He condemned the attack, saying: "This kind of violence is not OK. ... I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another, or one particular person or another. It is not OK, and it has to stop."
Turning himself in
State police in Harrisburg were contacted by a woman who said she was an ex of Balmer, authorities said. She said Balmer confessed to the act and "wanted her to call police to turn him in," the affidavit says.
A short time later, Balmer approached a state police trooper at the department headquarters, authorities said. He said he was "responsible" for the fire and "wished to turn himself in," they said. He was transported to the state police office in Harrisburg, where he was interviewed and confessed his ill feelings toward Shapiro, the affidavit says.
He told investigators that he removed gasoline from a lawn mower and poured it into beer bottles he found at his home, then walked for an hour to the Governor’s Residence with the intention of throwing the homemade Molotov cocktails into the home, authorities said.
Balmer lives in Penbrook, a borough adjacent to Harrisburg, in a home about 3.5 miles from the Governor's Residence.
Balmer also told investigators he was aware his actions would result in "negative consequences" and knew it was possible that Shapiro and others were home and could have been harmed, according to the affidavit.
Suspect appeared to be critical of the government online
Balmer also worked as a mechanic. Kindermans Auto Repair, a shop in Harrisburg, wrote Sunday on Facebook that he is a former employee who hasn't worked there in more than two years.
It said Sunday on Facebook, "While we are saddened to learn of these current charges, we fully support our men and women in law enforcement."
Balmer was a construction equipment repairer in the Army Reserve from April 2004 to June 2012, a U.S. Army spokesperson told NBC News. He had no deployments.
Balmer’s social media presence suggests he held staunch anti-government views. He often posted memes urging people to "become ungovernable" and reposted an artwork of a Molotov cocktail in 2022 with the slogan "Be the light you want to see in the world."
He posted negative content about President Joe Biden and seemed to reject Biden’s 2020 presidential win. He shared posts on Facebook criticizing Biden during his term, including a picture with the text "Joe Biden owes me 2 grand" and a post that said, "Biden supporters shouldn’t exist."
He also shared a meme in 2020 that argued that both Democrats and Republicans "would rather argue with other than work to solve the problems we are facing." It's not clear what his political affiliation is.
A Penbrook resident, who wanted to be identified only as Tim, said he has seen Balmer in the neighborhood since Balmer and his parents moved nearby a few months ago.
"I never, never talked to the guy," he said. "Never said hi to him. Seemed like a bit of a creep, so I just never took the initiative. I guess he just put off those vibes."
Balmer has faced criminal charges before.
He pleaded guilty to forgery and theft in 2015 and again to forgery in 2016 in Pennsylvania, court records show. In 2015, Harrisburg police officers alleged he altered a paycheck to someone else to make it appear to have been made out to him for an increased amount, more than $2,700, according to the affidavit filed as part of the criminal complaint in the case.
He was also charged with assault in 2023 in a case that is still open.
President Donald Trump briefly spoke about the attack from the White House on Monday, where he said the suspect was "probably just a wack job."
"The attacker was not a fan of Trump. I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told, the attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody," Trump said. "Certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen."
Biden said Monday on X: "Jill and I are disgusted by the attack on the Shapiro family and their home during the first night of Passover. We are relieved that they are safe and grateful to the first responders. There is no place for this type of evil in America, and as I told the Governor yesterday, we must stand united against hatred and violence."
