A Harrisburg man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, terrorism, and aggravated arson after allegedly breaking into the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro early Sunday and setting it on fire while the governor and his family were inside.

Authorities say 38-year-old Cody Balmer used homemade incendiary devices to ignite the fire shortly after 2 a.m., forcing Shapiro, his wife Lori, their four children, two dogs, and another visiting family to evacuate. No injuries were reported, but the governor’s residence sustained significant damage.

Balmer later turned himself in and admitted to police that he used gasoline siphoned from a lawn mower to fill beer bottles and create Molotov cocktails, which he threw into the residence. He told investigators he "harbored hatred" toward Shapiro and would have beaten the governor with a hammer had they encountered one another.

“He clearly had a plan,” said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police. “He was very methodical in his approach.”

According to an affidavit, Balmer hopped the perimeter fence, broke two windows with a hammer, and entered through one of them. He remained inside for less than a minute, actively evading troopers assigned to the governor’s security detail. After igniting the fire, he reportedly kicked down a dining room door and fled the scene.

The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire arrived minutes later and extinguished the flames. Shapiro and the others were safely evacuated. Audio from a Dauphin County EMS scanner captured a caller reporting a “large fire on the first floor” with “fire out the windows.”

Balmer’s ex-partner later called police, stating he confessed to starting the fire. He is also facing a plea hearing this week for a separate 2023 assault case and has a prior 2016 conviction for forgery and theft by deception. The FBI’s Philadelphia office is assisting in the investigation, and federal charges are being considered.

In a somber news conference Sunday, Shapiro, 51, called the incident an attack on the entire state.

“This type of violence is not OK,” he said. “We have to be better than this.”

Shapiro, a Democrat and former state attorney general, has been floated as a potential presidential candidate for 2028. He said the fire followed a Passover dinner held at the residence hours earlier and vowed the attack would not deter his faith or public service.

“If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover Seder… hear me on this: we celebrated our faith proudly, and we will do so again tonight,” Shapiro said, visibly emotional.

He also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support, including from Vice President JD Vance and Sen. John Fetterman, who both condemned the attack.

A review of security protocols is now underway to prevent similar incidents.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, a 29,000-square-foot Georgian-style home built in 1968 along the Susquehanna River, has housed eight governors and contains both permanent and temporary art exhibits. Photos released after the fire show scorched interiors, ash-covered floors, and remnants of the family’s Passover celebration.

Shapiro closed with a message of resilience: “No one will deter me or my family, or any Pennsylvanian, from celebrating their faith openly and proudly.”