At the time of fire, on Sunday around 2.30 in the morning of local time, the governor and his family stayed at home. According to the state police, everyone was safely evacuated and did not suffer any injuries.
The District Prosecutor of Dauphin, Fran Chardo, confirmed in his statement that 38-year-old Cody Balmer, a resident of Pennsylvania, is detained. Shapiro publicly assessed that the attack was “deliberate”.
According to information provided by the law enforcement agencies of ABC News, investigators are investigating whether the motive of the suspect could be the fact that the Governor of Shapiro is a follower of Judaism, and the arson took place on the first night of Passover.
Governor's statement
– If this someone tried to intimidate my family, my friends … Listen to me, we celebrated our faith with pride and no one would stop me from the open and proud celebration of my beliefs. […] Thank God, nobody suffered and the fire was extinguished – said the governor.
Pennsylvania's state police officer, George Bivens, described that the suspect was noticed by officers patrolling the property when he tried to break through the fence. Then he broke into the residence and raised a fire there, which caused “significant damage”.
Josh Shapiro was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2022. Earlier he was the prosecutor general of that state for two terms. The Democrats candidate for the office of the president, Kamala Harris, considered entrusting him with the position of vice president before she finally decided to get the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz.
