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The arson suspect accused of setting Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's house on fire told police that he hated Shapiro and would've beaten the governor with a hammer if he found him, a criminal complaint obtained by the New York Post states.
Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, was identified as the man responsible for the fire set at the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro overnight while he and his family were sleeping. Balmer is reported to face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, attempted arson and aggravated assault, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo.
The suspect told police that he removed gasoline from a lawn mower and poured it into two Heineken bottles, which he later used as hand-thrown incendiary weapons. Balmer said he walked an hour from his home to the governor's mansion in Harrisburg, at which point he scaled the perimeter of a fence, broke two windows with a hammer and threw the Molotov cocktails inside the house upon arrival early Sunday (April 13) morning. The two broken Heineken beer bottles were found inside Shapiro's living room by responding authorities at the scene.
Balmer "forcibly entered" Shapiro's home and threw the incendiary devices inside to start the fire while the governor and his family were sleeping, Pennsylvania Lt. Col. George Bivens told CNN.
“He clearly had a plan,” Bivens said. “He was very methodical in his approach.”
Authorities have deemed the incident as a "targeted" attack, however, a motive wasn't immediately known. Balmer was scheduled to appear in court for a plea hearing in a separate case stemming from 2023 simple assault charges days after his arrest for the fire at the governor's mansion.
The suspect also previously pleaded guilty to forgery and theft by deception charges stemming from another separate case. Balmer's mother, Christie, told CBS News that her son is "mentally ill" and "went off his medication" following news of his arrest on Sunday.
Shapiro publicly announced that he and his family were forced to evacuate the governor's mansion after an arsonist set it on fire overnight while they were sleeping in a post shared on his X account Sunday morning.
The incident took place hours after Shapiro, who is Jewish, shared a photo of his family's Seder table for the first night of Passover.
Shapiro is widely regarded as a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, having previously been strongly considered to serve as former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate during the 2024 presidential election.