Cody Balmer, a 38-year-old man from Harrisburg, was identified as the man responsible for setting fire at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's house. Francis Chardo, the district attorney for Dauphin County, said Balmer is charged with terrorism, attempted murder, attempted arson, and aggravated assault.
Blamer, who is currently in police custody, is a mechanic who has earlier shown hatred for Democrats on social media, sources closer to him told ABC News.
The fire was reported at around 2 a.m. ET, when Shapiro and his family were sleeping inside the house. However, no injuries were reported as the governor and his family were safely evacuated.
Balmer allegedly used “a Molotov cocktail” to ignite the fire.
According to the criminal complaint, he used bottles of Heineken that he had at his home to make two Molotov cocktails. He entered the governor's mansion after smashing a window with a hammer.
Authorities claimed that Balmer informed them after his arrest that he would have struck Shapiro with a hammer if had found him inside the mansion, as per the court documents.
According to people close to Balmer, his public grumblings against the Democratic Party were mostly about finances. Investigators are also probing if Balmer has any financial issues, ABC News reported.
Cody Balmer's mother breaks silence: Is her son mentally unfit?
{{/usCountry}}According to people close to Balmer, his public grumblings against the Democratic Party were mostly about finances. Investigators are also probing if Balmer has any financial issues, ABC News reported.
Cody Balmer's mother breaks silence: Is her son mentally unfit?
{{/usCountry}}Following Balmer's arrest, his mother Christie Balmer told CBS News that her son is “mentally ill”. She even claimed that he “went off his medication.”
Christie further said that she contacted four different police departments in an attempt to get her son “picked up” last week but “couldn't get anybody to help.”
Here's what Shapiro said after arson attack
In a message posted on his X account on Sunday morning, Shapiro declared that he and his family were forced to evacuate the governor's mansion because an arsonist set it on fire while they were asleep.
“Last night at about 2AM, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg,” he wrote.
Notably, Shapiro was a strong candidate to be former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 presidential election, He is currently being considered as a top contender for the Democratic presidential candidacy in 2028.