A Pennsylvania man will be charged with terrorism and attempted murder after allegedly firebombing the official residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro, hours after Shapiro and his family hosted a Passover seder there.
On Saturday, Shapiro posted a picture of a table set for the seder on social media, with the message, “From the Shapiro family’s Seder table to yours, happy Passover and Chag Pesach Sameach!”
On Sunday, he shared that Pennsylvania State Police officers had awoken him and his family at 2 a.m. to alert them that an arsonist had set fire to the building and they needed to evacuate. The family escaped unharmed and the fire was extinguished, but not before doing significant damage to the residence, including the reception room where the seder had been held.
Official photographs distributed by the state’s media service showed the charred pages of a Passover songbook, with English lyrics from the classic song “Chad Gadya” and the Israeli national anthem “Hatikvah” both visible.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a press conference outside of the Governor’s Mansion after a portion of the property was damaged in an arson fire on April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
After a short manhunt, police arrested Cody Balmer, a Harrisburg man who reportedly posted anti-Democrat content on social media. He is set to be charged with multiple felonies on Monday.
Shapiro decried political violence during a press conference on Sunday afternoon. While there was no immediate indication that Shapiro had been targeted because of his religion, he signaled defiance.
“If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover seder in that room last night, hear me on this: We celebrated our faith last night proudly, and in a few hours we will celebrate our second seder of Passover,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro, who inaugurated his campaign for governor in 2022 with a video featuring his family’s Shabbat dinners, was a finalist for the vice presidential slot on the Democratic ticket last year. After Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz instead, some questioned whether Shapiro had been passed over because of antisemitism or over his stance on the Israel-Hamas war, which had caused critics to call him “Genocide Josh.” But he said he believed antisemitism played “no role” and that he was happy to remain in the governor’s spot, where he is popular. He is widely seen as a potential future presidential contender.
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