Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family barely avoided an attack on his official residence early in the morning when a man broke past security to set the house ablaze. The suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, is charged with terrorism after the incident.
Shapiro said that he and his family were awoken around 2 a.m. Sunday morning by police and evacuated safely from the mansion in Harrisburg, the state capital.
Authorities announced that Balmer had climbed over the fence surrounding the mansion to evade the security system before he ignited the blaze and escaped. He was eventually caught in the city.
Local prosecutor Fran Chardo confirmed that charges against Balmer would include terrorism, attempted murder and arson.
The assault took place on the holy Jewish holiday of Passover, a celebration that marks the liberation of the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage. Shapiro, who is Jewish, had served a Seder dinner in the same room hours earlier where the blaze was ignited.
Shapiro reacted with defiance to the attack, stating, "If he was attempting to terrorize my family, my friends, we celebrated our faith proudly, no one will keep me from celebrating my faith openly and proudly."
Outside the mansion at a press conference, Shapiro denounced the violence, stating, "This kind of violence is not OK. I don't care if it's from one side or the other. It's not OK."
Shapiro, a powerful leader of the Democratic Party, was one of the possible contenders for the vice president position on Kamala Harris' ticket in the last election cycle.
He also credited Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for vowing to deliver all federal resources to assist with the investigation.
Interestingly, a property of a man with a name similar to the suspected attacker was listed for auction as the result of mortgage default, but no link to the suspect has been verified.
This attack adds to a troubling trend of political violence in the United States, especially as tensions continue to rise. In a similar vein, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was severely injured during an assault at their home in 2023, and there were also thwarted assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump during his campaign last year.
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