Pennsylvania man pleads guilty for firebombing governor Josh Shapiro’s home; gets up to 50 years in jail
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Pennsylvania man pleads guilty for firebombing governor Josh Shapiro’s home; gets up to 50 years in jail")
Governor Josh Shapiro Photograph: (AFP)
Cody Balmer pleaded guilty to attempted murder and arson for firebombing Governor Josh Shapiro’s home, receiving a 25–50 year prison sentence
A Pennsylvania man has admitted to attempting to kill Governor Josh Shapiro by firebombing his official residence earlier this year. Cody Balmer, 38, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (October 14) to multiple charges, including attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, and 22 counts of arson—each representing a person endangered during the attack. Under a plea agreement, he faces a prison term ranging from 25 to 50 years, prosecutors announced.
Balmer confessed to police that he was driven by “hatred” toward the Democratic governor. On the first night of Passover in April, he hurled a Molotov cocktail at the governor’s Georgian-style mansion in Harrisburg, where Shapiro was celebrating with friends and family. When asked by investigators what he would have done had he encountered Shapiro inside, Balmer chillingly replied that he “would have beaten him with his hammer.”
Governor Shapiro and his family were inside the home at the time, though the fire broke out in a separate section of the building. They were awakened around 2 a.m. by a state trooper who knocked on their door, and they were safely evacuated. No injuries were reported, but the mansion sustained significant damage.
Surveillance footage showed Balmer scaling the perimeter fence, smashing windows, and throwing gasoline-filled beer bottles before entering and igniting another firebomb. He later fled the scene. An ex-partner tipped off authorities, saying Balmer wanted to surrender. He subsequently walked into a state police headquarters and confessed to carrying out the attack. Governor Shapiro, a high-profile Democrat often mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, later thanked first responders, saying, “Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished.”
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