You know where to find me. I'm not hiding and I will confess.
In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a man breached the perimeter of the governor's mansion during a Passover gathering and set it ablaze with improvised incendiary devices, then called 911 himself to explain why. The act placed Governor Josh Shapiro's family — including four children — in immediate danger and thrust the long-simmering tension between domestic political violence and foreign policy grievance into sharp relief. That a man would cross from anguish over distant suffering into arson and near-murder at a family's holiday table speaks to something ancient and unresolved in the human capacity to transform grief into destruction.
- A family celebrating Passover inside the governor's mansion narrowly escaped as fire tore through rooms they had occupied just hours before.
- The attacker didn't flee — he called 911 himself, named his target, and declared he was 'not hiding,' turning the act into a deliberate political statement.
- Investigators found that Balmer scaled a seven-foot fence, moved through the residence for over a minute, and carried a sledgehammer — suggesting the fire was only part of what he intended.
- Balmer's personal life was already unraveling: a finalized divorce, a domestic abuse hearing days away, and a reported suicide attempt that had turned violent toward his wife and stepson.
- Governor Shapiro responded not with anger but with resolve, stating that neither his duties nor his faith would be deterred — and leaving the legal reckoning to prosecutors.
Just after two in the morning on a Sunday, fire broke out inside the Pennsylvania governor's mansion in Harrisburg. Governor Josh Shapiro, his wife, their four children, and another family had been in the very rooms that would burn, observing Passover together — they were no longer inside when the flames took hold, but the proximity was chilling.
The man who set the fire was Cody Balmer, 38, a Harrisburg resident who called 911 himself after the attack. He gave his name, explained his reasons, and said the governor 'needs to know' that he opposed Shapiro's support for Israel. He told the dispatcher that the governor needed to stop having 'my friends killed' and called him a 'monster.' He ended the call by saying he wasn't hiding and would confess to everything.
Balmer had jumped a nearly seven-foot fence to breach the mansion's perimeter, moved through the residence for roughly a minute, and set fires using beer bottles filled with gasoline. Police later revealed he had also carried a small sledgehammer, and told investigators he would have used it on Shapiro had he found him inside.
His personal circumstances added another layer of disorder: he had been scheduled for a domestic abuse hearing days later, had reportedly attempted suicide by overdose, and was subject to a protection from abuse order following the breakdown of his marriage.
At a press conference, Shapiro was measured and firm. He said nothing Balmer did would deter him from his duties or from practicing his faith openly, and he called on society to reject violence as a means of resolving disagreement. Balmer, who appeared in court Monday and stuck his tongue out at reporters, was denied bail and now faces charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated assault, and aggravated arson.
On a Sunday morning just after two o'clock, fire broke out inside the Pennsylvania governor's mansion in Harrisburg. The building sustained significant damage. Hours earlier, Governor Josh Shapiro, his wife, their four children, two dogs, and another family had been inside one of the rooms that would burn, observing Passover together.
Cody Balmer, a 38-year-old Harrisburg resident, made the 911 call himself. According to a search warrant filed in the case, he identified himself by name and spoke directly to the operator about his reasons. He said Shapiro "needs to know that he 'will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people'." Balmer continued, telling the dispatcher that the governor "needs to stop having my friends killed" and that "our people have been put through too much by that monster." The warrant does not explicitly name Shapiro as the target of these statements, but the context is clear: Shapiro is a prominent supporter of Israel and has been considered a rising figure within the Democratic Party. Before ending the call, Balmer said, "you know where to find me. I'm not hiding and I will confess to everything that I've done."
Investigators determined that Balmer had jumped a fence nearly seven feet high to breach the mansion's perimeter. Officers were alerted to the intrusion, but he managed to move through the residence for roughly a minute. He set fires using beer bottles filled with gasoline. Police later said that had Balmer encountered Shapiro inside, he told them he would have attacked him with a small sledgehammer.
Balmer now faces charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated assault, and aggravated arson. At his Monday court appearance, he stuck out his tongue at reporters as he arrived. A judge denied him bail. The timing of his arrest coincided with separate legal troubles: Balmer had been scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing on domestic abuse allegations. According to police, he had told officers he attempted suicide by consuming a full bottle of pills, which sparked an argument with his wife that escalated into violence against her and his stepson. Court records show his divorce from his wife was finalized in February, and he was subject to a protection from abuse order.
At a press conference, Shapiro addressed the attack without dwelling on Balmer's stated motivations. "Nothing he could do would deter me from doing my job as governor," Shapiro said. "Nothing he could do would deter me from proudly and openly practicing my faith." He emphasized that violence of this kind has no place in society, regardless of what drives it, and that such acts are not how differences are resolved. He deferred further comment to state prosecutors.
Notable Quotes
Nothing he could do would deter me from doing my job as governor. Nothing he could do would deter me from proudly and openly practicing my faith.— Governor Josh Shapiro, at a press conference following the attack
Shapiro 'needs to know that he will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people' and 'needs to stop having my friends killed'— Cody Balmer, in his 911 call, according to the search warrant
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did he call 911 himself? That seems almost like he wanted to be caught.
The warrant suggests he was explicit about it—he told the operator where to find him, that he wasn't hiding. It reads less like someone trying to escape and more like someone making a statement.
What was his actual connection to Gaza or Palestine? Was he politically active?
The warrant doesn't say. We know what he said in the call, but not whether he had any direct ties to activism or if this was something more personal that he was channeling through a political lens.
The governor was home with his family. How close did this actually come to tragedy?
Close enough that it matters. Shapiro, his wife, four children, two dogs, and another family had just finished Passover in one of the rooms that caught fire. Balmer was inside for about a minute. The question of what happens if he'd found them is the question everyone's asking.
And he told police he would have used a sledgehammer?
Yes. That's what he said after his arrest. Whether that's bravado or intent, it's now part of the record and part of why he's facing attempted murder charges.
What's his situation now—is there any sense of his mental state?
He was dealing with a recent divorce, a protection from abuse order, and he'd apparently attempted suicide just before the attack. The domestic violence hearing was scheduled for days later. None of that excuses what he did, but it's the context authorities are working with.