Pennsylvania state authorities have arrested a 38-year-old Harrisburg man they said set fire to the governor’s mansion while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept, forcing them to evacuate early Sunday before the blaze severely damaged part of the building.
The man, identified as Cody Balmer, 38, jumped a fence and managed to evade state troopers after he broke into the building, the authorities said, adding that he had used homemade incendiary devices. He fled the scene and was arrested in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon, officials said at a news conference.
Mr. Balmer is in custody and is expected to be charged with attempted murder, arson and terrorism. Law enforcement officials said they could not provide any information about a motive.
During the news briefing outside the fire-scarred mansion, Governor Shapiro, a Democrat who gained national prominence last year when he was on the short list of possible running mates for Kamala Harris, said that the F.B.I. was assisting in the investigation. The smell of smoke lingered in the air as he spoke, with the blackened, broken windows where the arsonist had struck visible behind him.
Mr. Shapiro became emotional as he described his family’s ordeal, recalling the moment a state trooper had banged on his door shortly after 2 a.m., waking him, his wife and his children, and rushing them to safety. The attack, he said, had been “targeted.”
“Last night, we experienced an attack, not just on our family, but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Mr. Shapiro said. “I want you all to know that your prayers lift us up, and in this moment of darkness, we are choosing to see light.”
Mr. Shapiro, who last summer helped oversee the law enforcement response to the assassination attempt against President Trump in Butler, Pa., condemned the vitriol in American politics.
“This type of violence is not OK,” Mr. Shapiro said, his voice rising in anger. “I don’t give a damn if it’s from one particular side or another. It’s not OK.”
During the briefing, Mr. Shapiro said he had spoken with the FBI director Kash Patel hours earlier. “He promised all of the resources of the federal government,” Mr. Shapiro said, adding that he thanked Mr. Patel, the F.B.I. and the president for their support.
The State Police said in a statement that the fire caused “a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence.”
Mr. Shapiro noted that the attack had occurred on the first night of Passover, one of the holiest Jewish holidays, and that other members of the local Jewish community had been celebrating in the state dining room with him and his family. “No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly or proudly,” he said.
Law enforcement officials described a chaotic scene at the mansion in the early morning hours. Once state police became aware of a security breach on the property, they set out looking for an intruder. But, in a matter of minutes, Mr. Balmer was able to break in, set the fire and escape back over the same fence he had scaled to get in, officials said.
Bryan Flores, 37, a neighbor who lives across the street from the residence, said he awoke shortly after 2 a.m. to see a large response outside from the police and firefighters. He said he “woke up to the sirens and the flashing lights” and added that the incident seemed under control at that point.
Mr. Shapiro, who served for six years as the state’s attorney general before being elected governor in 2022, has been the target of threats at least once before. In November 2023, the police arrested a man who they said sent a threatening email to him, according to a Pennsylvania State Police report. It was unclear on Sunday if the man was charged in connection with that incident.
The governor’s residence is a 29,000-square-foot Georgian-style building on the Susquehanna River that was completed in 1968, according to the state government. Its landscaped grounds occupy a full block about a mile and a half from the State Capitol complex.
The public is able to tour the residence, which exhibits art and artifacts on the first floor.
Recent high-profile incidents of violence directed at political figures have helped fuel fear and unease among Americans, polls have shown. Before the presidential election last year, about four in 10 voters said they were extremely or very concerned about violent attempts to challenge the outcome. The assassination attempt against Mr. Trump last summer took place a little over 200 miles west of Harrisburg.
Other serious incidents have included a foiled plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan in 2020, and the home invasion and assault at the home of Nancy Pelosi in 2023, which seriously injured the former House speaker’s husband, Paul.
Though American politics has grown increasingly acrimonious and deeply polarized in recent years, research shows that extremist violence in the United States has actually declined, even though a handful of episodes have drawn widespread attention and alarm. Scholars who study the issue have said that the political climate has not become more broadly violent.
Campbell Robertson, Amanda Holpuch and Allison Beck contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
