Law enforcement arrested a 38-year-old man for allegedly setting fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home on Sunday.
Cody Allen Balmer is facing several charges for the incident, including attempted homicide, aggravated arson, terrorism, and burglary. The police claim Balmer jumped a fence before using Molotov cocktails to set the home ablaze. Shapiro and his family were sleeping inside but managed to escape unscathed.
The authorities managed to apprehend Balmer after he allegedly confessed the crime to a former lover.
Police have just arrested 38-year-old Cody Balmer from Harrisburg in connection with the arson attack and attempted homicide against Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) April 13, 2025
Legacy media will now ignore this story because Balmer doesn’t fit their leftist narrative. pic.twitter.com/UR9AO004hx
Balmer previously worked as a welder and mechanic. But he was unemployed by the time of the incident and lived with his parents. The suspect served eight years as an Army reservist. He has an extensive criminal history, pleading guilty to forgery and theft in 2015 and 2016.
The suspect also has an ongoing assault charge from 2023. He allegedly struck his ten-year-old stepson and stepped on his leg. He is also accused of punching his wife, ABC News reported.
In late Jan. 2023, local police were called to a home in the Harrisburg area for what was characterized in court documents as an "active physical domestic" incident.
"A child caller advised his stepfather was beating his mother," the responding officer's affidavit said. The officer responded and outside the home met Balmer's then-wife "in an elevated state, yelling and crying about her husband, Cody Balmer, having assaulted her."
"Cody was still inside the residence," the officer said.
Balmer told the officer "that he had taken a bottle full of pills in an attempt to kill himself," the affidavit said. "An argument ensued between Cody and [his wife] to a point that his 13-year-old son" had "stepped in between them. Cody then admitted to shoving his son and that a fight ensued between all parties. Cody showcased injuries to his face."
Balmer had hit his 10-year-old son "in the chest and stepped on his broken leg in the midst of a scuffle with the victim and two others," and had hit his 13-year-old son and his wife "with closed fists, and bit his wife causing a puncture wound on her hand," according to the criminal complaint.
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Authorities found that Balmer had posted several anti-government posts on social media. He urged others to “become ungovernable” and showed no preference for Democrats or Republicans. He criticized both President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, NBC News reported.
He posted negative content about President Joe Biden and seemed to reject Biden’s 2020 presidential win. He shared posts on Facebook criticizing Biden during his term, including a picture with the text "Joe Biden owes me 2 grand" and a post that said, "Biden supporters shouldn’t exist."
He also shared a meme in 2020 that argued that both Democrats and Republicans "would rather argue with other than work to solve the problems we are facing." It's not clear what his political affiliation is.
One post showed Molotov cocktail artwork with the slogan “Be the light you want to see in the world.”
Police have not yet identified a motive for the arson. However, court documents suggested that he carried deep animus for Gov. Shapiro. He allegedly told police he was “harboring a hatred” for him and that he would have assaulted the governor with his hammer if he ran into him, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Balmer was arraigned on Monday after he was released from the hospital following a medical incident unrelated to the arson. He is expected in court for a preliminary hearing on April 23.
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