In a case that has sent shockwaves through Pennsylvania and beyond, Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, pleaded guilty on October 14, 2025, to a series of grave charges stemming from the firebombing of Governor Josh Shapiro’s official residence. The attack, which took place in the early morning hours of April 13, 2025—the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover—put the lives of the governor, his family, and their guests in immediate danger, but miraculously, all 22 people inside, including children as young as eight, were evacuated safely.
Balmer’s guilty plea covers a staggering 46 charges, including attempted murder with a terrorism enhancement, aggravated arson, burglary, and the reckless endangerment of every individual in the residence. According to Pennsylvania Capital-Star and corroborated by Axios and Fox News, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in state prison and will be eligible for parole in 2050, when he turns 63. The terrorism enhancement, as Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo explained, doubled the sentence Balmer would have otherwise faced. "I think it was the right sentence based on, thankfully, that no one was hurt or killed … The fact that it was by guilty plea, that’s a good thing," Chardo remarked at a press conference following the hearing.
The events of that night were harrowing. Video evidence played in court, as described by Pennsylvania Capital-Star, showed Balmer breaking a window of the Governor’s Residence with a sledgehammer and hurling a Molotov cocktail inside, igniting a blaze in the dining room. He then smashed a second window and entered the residence, attempting to break down doors—including one leading to a hallway where guests and children were sleeping. When he was unable to proceed further, Balmer set off a second Molotov cocktail and fled the scene. The attack occurred just hours after Governor Shapiro had hosted a Passover seder with friends and family, a fact that underscores the vulnerability of those inside.
Shortly after committing the attack, Balmer called 911 and turned himself in to authorities. During his confession, he admitted to police that he had intended to kill Governor Shapiro with the hammer he carried, and that his actions were motivated by disagreement with Shapiro’s stance on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. According to police reports and a 911 call transcript obtained by FOX29 Philadelphia, Balmer stated he targeted Shapiro because of what the governor "wants to do to the Palestinian people." Authorities further noted that Balmer harbored deep animosity toward Shapiro, whom he called a "monster" for supporting Israel’s war in Gaza.
As Axios reported, the attack drew swift condemnation from across the political spectrum. Governor Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s highest-ranking Jewish official, has faced both support and fierce criticism for his views on the conflict in Gaza. In the months leading up to the attack, Shapiro had publicly denounced universities for not ensuring the safety of students during pro-Palestinian protests, a stance that made him a target for those opposed to his position.
During the October 14 plea hearing, Balmer appeared subdued, dressed in a maroon Department of Corrections jumper, his wrists and ankles shackled. His answers to the judge and district attorney were brief, consisting mainly of "yes" or "no" responses. This demeanor stood in stark contrast to his earlier behavior in April, when he reportedly made cryptic remarks and stuck his tongue out at reporters.
The impact of the attack on Governor Shapiro and his family has been profound. In a letter read aloud in court, Shapiro and his wife, First Lady Lori Shapiro, described a "nagging sense of fear" that has lingered since the incident, manifesting in trouble sleeping and anxiety in public. "Time has now separated between before the fire and after the fire," the letter read. "It’s a fear and anxiety we are learning to live with, but we are expecting to carry with us for a lifetime." At a news conference outside his office in the Capitol, Shapiro spoke candidly about the emotional toll: "To be honest, Lori and I have struggled over the last six months to try and make sense of all of this. The hardest part has been trying to explain it to our four children, and to our nieces and nephews. I’ve carried with me this enormous sense of guilt—guilt that doing this job that I love so much has put our children’s lives at risk."
Shapiro’s comments resonated with a broader concern about the rise in political violence in the United States. "I think it’s important that in this time of rising political violence that none of us grow numb to it, or accept this as the normal course of doing business," he said, as reported by Axios and Fox News. "I’ve talked to people who are thinking about running for office who have said they don’t want to, because they don’t want to put their families at risk. These are good people who just want to serve, want to do right by their communities, who are being impacted by this unacceptable level of political violence." Shapiro’s call for accountability and civility was echoed by many on both sides of the political aisle, with bipartisan condemnation of the attack.
The case also highlighted serious issues with the mental health system. Balmer’s family, through a letter read by his public defender, described him as a loving father and active community member who had struggled with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. His mother told the Associated Press that she had tried to get him help in the days before the attack, suspecting he had gone off his medication, but law enforcement did not have sufficient grounds to have him involuntarily committed. District Attorney Chardo acknowledged, "Our mental health procedures act is an old one. It’s more than 40 years old. We need to figure out how to deal with that in a better way so that people are not getting their treatment for mental health by being stuck in jails." However, Chardo maintained that the evidence did not support an insanity plea and that it was up to the judge to consider Balmer’s mental state in sentencing.
In the aftermath of the attack, the Shapiro family has leaned on their faith and the support of their community. "We will forever be changed by this," Shapiro said. "We know that time will heal, but the scars will remain." The incident stands as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by public officials and their families in today’s increasingly polarized climate—and of the urgent need for both improved mental health care and a renewed commitment to civil discourse and nonviolence in public life.
