Suspect In Pennsylvania Governor’s Mansion Attack Charged
Written by djfrosty on April 15, 2025
On Monday (April 14), Pennsylvania state authorities arrested a man who they say set fire to the mansion of Governor Josh Shapiro as he and his family were sleeping inside earlier on Sunday (April 13), the first night of the Passover holiday. The Dauphin County District Attorney’s office announced that they arrested Cody Ballmer, 38, of Harrisburg, after he allegedly fled the scene and charged him with arson, attempted murder and domestic terrorism among other charges.
“Last night, we experienced an attack, not just on our family, but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said in a press conference. “I want you all to know that your prayers lift us up, and in this moment of darkness, we are choosing to see light.” He became emotional as he described the ordeal, stating that a state trooper had awakened him and his family at 2 a.m. to get them to safety. State police said that the fire had caused “a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence.
Ballmer is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital for an unrelated medical event. According to court documents, when asked what he planned to do to the governor if he found him, Ballmer stated that he planned to beat him with a small sledgehammer. His mother, Christie Ballmer, said to reporters from the Associated Press that she had tried to get him assistance for alleged mental health issues. “He wasn’t taking his medicine, and that’s all I want to say,” she told them at their family home.
In the press conference, Governor Shapiro said that Federal Bureau of Investigation director Kash Patel promised “all of the resources of the federal government,” and thanked him and the FBI as well as President Donald Trump for their support. He continued, blasting the increased violent rhetoric in American politics. “This type of violence is not OK,” the Democratic governor said with notable anger. “I don’t give a damn if it’s from one particular side or another. It’s not OK.”
“The attacker was not a fan of Trump, I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told. The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody, he was probably just a whack job,” Trump said to the press on Monday afternoon at the White House, adding: “And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”