1 week Ago
The man suspected of setting fire to the Governor’s Residence early Sunday morning hopped the property’s fence and was able to evade security for several minutes before depositing incendiaries in the building’s reception hall and escaping the way he had come in, according to police. At a press conference late Sunday afternoon, Pennsylvania State Police said they had apprehended the suspected arsonist, identified as Cody Balmer, age 38, of Penbrook. A portion of the building was badly damaged by fire ; Gov.
Josh Shapiro and his family evacuated unharmed. Around 2 a.m.
Sunday, Balmer “came over a fence right behind where all of you are standing right now,” PSP Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters gathered at the scene.
“He actively evaded troopers who were here to secure the residence, even while they were searching for him on the property,” Bivens continued. “While they were searching is when he attacked the residence, broke in and set the fires.” Gubernatorial security “knew that there had been a breach on the property and we were searching to determine what had occurred,” Bivens said.
The grounds of the residence — located just south of McClay Street between Second and Front streets — are blanketed in security cameras. Balmer was on the property for a few minutes, Bivens said, and was inside the building for less than a minute where he deposited what were described as “homemade incendiary devices.” “He then exited the property the same way he came on, back over the fence,” Bivens said.
Balmer was arrested in the Harrisburg area before Sunday’s press conference began around 5 p.m. Police did not go into detail about how Balmer was identified.
Charges — including attempted murder — are expected to be filed Sunday night, along with an affidavit detailing how investigators determined Balmer to be the culprit, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo. The Governor’s Residence is a 29,000-square-foot complex built in 1968. The room that Balmer allegedly set afire was a reception room and banquet hall that houses artwork and historical exhibits.
The governor’s personal living quarters are elsewhere in the facility, and troopers’ primary concern was the physical safety of the Shapiro family, officials said. “The quick action of those troopers last night immediately shifted to the safety of the governor and his family and his extended family,” said PSP Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris.
However, “there is already a security review underway to determine how we can ensure that we don’t have a repeat of a situation like this,” Bivens noted. Shapiro said he and his family were asleep in another part of the residence at the time and were awakened by a trooper from their security detail banging on the door. The governor was with his wife, Lori, as well as their children, dogs, and other family members who were staying over.
“Lori and I are overwhelmed by the prayers and the messages of support that we’ve received from all across Pennsylvania and all across the United States,” Shapiro said Sunday evening. “I want you to know that your prayers lift us up, and in this moment of darkness we are choosing to see light, and we appreciate the light that you have shined upon us,” the governor continued. Shapiro, who is Jewish, had hosted a Passover dinner event in the reception hall Saturday night, just hours before it was set ablaze.
“We do know that this attack was targeted,” Shapiro said, but a specific motive was not yet clear. “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 just yesterday for the good people of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. Further, “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 again, proudly,” Shapiro continued.
Bivens said Balmer was relatively meticulous in his approach, although it is unclear how well-versed he was in the layout of the property. “He clearly had a plan,” Biven said. “He was very methodical in his approach and moved through it without a lot of hurry.
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