Pa. man charged with attempting to kill Gov. Josh Shapiro told police he hated him and would have beaten him
Last edited Mon Apr 14, 2025, 01:49 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
Updated April 14, 2025, 12:54 p.m. ET | Published April 14, 2025, 6:32 a.m. ET
The Harrisburg man charged with the attempted homicide of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family for setting three fires in the Pennsylvania governor’s residence turned himself in to State Police on Sunday afternoon and admitted to “harboring a hatred” toward Shapiro, according to the criminal complaint.
Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, evaded police while on the property, breaking a window and throwing a Heineken beer bottle filled with gasoline into the piano room in a wing of the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, according to the criminal complaint. He then went to the attached dining room, broke a window, entered the residence, and lit two more homemade “Molotov cocktails” before fleeing on foot.
It’s unclear how State Police, who have a 24/7 detail assigned to Shapiro and additional security at the governor’s residence, allowed Balmer to enter the property, start a fire, then break into the building and start two more fires before fleeing on foot without apprehension.
Balmer was taken to an area hospital “due to a medical event not connected to this incident nor his arrest,” police said Monday. Because of this, his arraignment was canceled and will be rescheduled.
Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/josh-shapiro-cody-balmer-attempted-homicide-governors-mansion-20250414.html
Article updated.
Original article -
The Harrisburg man who is charged with attempted homicide of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family for setting three fires in the residence turned himself in to State Police on Sunday afternoon and admitted to “harboring a hatred” toward Shapiro, according to the criminal complaint filed Sunday.
Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, evaded police while on the property, breaking a window and throwing a Heineken bottle filled with gasoline into the piano room on a wing of the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, according to the criminal complaint. He then went to the attached dining room, broke a window, entered the residence, and lit two more homemade “Molotov cocktails” before fleeing on foot.
It’s unclear how State Police, who have a 24/7 detail assigned to Shapiro and additional security at the governor’s residence, allowed Balmer to enter the property, start a fire, then break into the building and start two more fires before fleeing on foot without apprehension.
Balmer’s ex called police and said that Balmer had confessed to her and wanted her to call police to turn him in, according to the complaint. Balmer then appeared at State Police headquarters in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon to turn himself in.
= new reply since forum marked as read
"Balmer told investigators he hated Shapiro and that if he found him at the property early Sunday morning, he would have “beaten him with a hammer” he had brought with him to break into the residence, according to the complaint. "
And apparently this isn't the only time he was influenced by the Mango Menace:
"In another case, Balmer pleaded guilty in 2016 to forgery and theft by deception charges, court documents show. "
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/14/us/pennsylvania-governor-arson-what-we-know-hnk/index.html
Democrats stand strong with the Jewish community during these ever-trying times. 
but apparently the guy had it methodically planned out - he walked an hour to the residence, jumped the fence, hurled a molotov through a window allowing him to get in, and then tossed 2 more molotovs in the room he broke into, and then exited back out the same window - all within minutes.
That is what was pretty much relayed on our local Philly news radio repoet this afternoon as an update. The guy's mother claims he has mental health issues and was off his meds.
I expect like many homes here in Philly, they will need to put some decorative bars on those windows. I know the house I grew up in, we had bars - although they were inside ones - and we had window locks as well. My mom also planted thorny shrubs (pyracantha) right under the windows as a deterrent. 
It had whorls of white flowers that produced orange berries in summer like this -
But per its "common name" - "Firethorn" - the thorns on it were lethal!
Had to pull out the heavy gloves when pruning it! The birds were happy to have some berries in winter though.
That was one of "in plants" back then! Our neighbors had another prickly one - barberries.
We also had a back stone wall that was lined with "Blaze" climbing roses (another 50s/60s plant - in fact, when we moved there in the '60s, the previous owner had a whole tea rose garden in the backyard).
On that side of the house with the pyracantha, she also had a pieris (a/k/a Andromeda) and a weigela.
My mom planted stuff so she could have something blooming all through the growing season!
for "a thorny barrier" are obviously roses. Not so much the "specimen" tea roses but the "climbing" ones and more recently, the "Knock-Out" roses, which are basically hybridized shrub roses.
I have also seen people use a hedge of flowering shrub quince (vs the tree one) -
I remember when my sister had first moved to her current house almost 25 years ago, someone in her neighborhood had a sheared shrub with those cool flowers. I finally identified what it was.
Of course out where you are, I expect people use bougies!
Love the neon hot pink ones! Obviously not hardy where I am but I did try a potted one (when I had it, I was living where I really didn't get enough sun for it)
…the Central Coast of California — they’re another one that needs to be positioned thoughtfully if you place them around your ouch, I mean house. 
although i expect in Hawai'i, the volcanic rock naturally mixed in with the soil, gives them that perfect drainage!
is that like poinsettias, the colored "flowers" are not really their "flowers", but are "bracts". I may consider trying one again.
