Shapiro is addressing the media for the first time since he and his family were forced to evacuate their home in the middle of the night.
Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke to the media for the first time just 12 hours after a man set fire to his residence, forcing his family to evacuate in the middle of the night. Shapiro spoke at a podium in front of the damaged home, where the blackened and shattered windows were visible. Shapiro confirmed that he and his wife, children and two dogs escaped the incident without any physical injuries. Police have identified 38-year-old Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native Cody Balmer as the suspect in question, and they confirmed that Balmer was released on bail.
Speaking to reports, Gov. Shapiro recalled being awoken at 2 am to a state trooper banging on his door, and then later helping to usher the family to safety. The suspect had already reportedly fled the scene at the time.
“Last night, we experienced an attack not just on our family but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania here at the Governor’s Residence. I want to thank the Pennsylvania State Police for safely evacuating our family, for their bravery last evening, and for their careful leadership of this investigation,” Shapiro said. “I spoke a couple of hours ago with Director Kash Patel of the FBI. He promised all of the resources of the federal government. He was extremely kind and courteous and thoughtful in his conversation with me, and I thanked him and the women and men of the FBI and the president of the United States for their support.”
Shapiro was emotional as he spoke, condemning the arson attack as well as the violence that he lambasted as becoming “far too common in our society.” Shapiro, a practicing Jew, was defiant in the face of the attack occurring the night of Passover, saying that he and his family would continue celebrating the Jewish holiday, before wishing a happy cedar to Pennsylvanians. “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.”
Though authorities have not released a motive for the attack, police confirmed that Balmer admitted “harboring hatred” for the Governor and claimed he intended to beat Shapiro with a hammer had he encountered him in the home the night of the attack. Shortly after the attack, Balmer was hospitalized for a medical event that Pennsylvania State Police said was unrelated to his arrest. Balmer’s current condition is not known.
Jordan Golin, CEO of the Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh, pointed out that Shapiro had posted photos from his family’s Passover cedar shortly before the fire. “It did not seem like a coincidence,” Golin said. Pittsburgh has been no stranger to antisemitism, as the community is still reeling from the deaths of 11 people during a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue.
Members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community echoed Gov. Shapiro’s words at his press conference, where he called the attack “personal.” Board members of Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania labeled the attack antisemitic and called it a “cowardly and potentially disastrous arson attack.”
President Trump briefly addressed the incident on Tuesday morning, calling the suspect a “whack job” before saying the attack was something that should not be allowed to happen.
