The man who admitted to firebombing Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro‘s home says he did it to avenge Palestinian deaths in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Pennsylvania State Police say Cody Balmer made a 911 call around 3 AM Sunday — about an hour after he hurled Molotov cocktails into Shapiro’s home — and said he wanted the Governor to know he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.”
During the call, Balmer also said, “Our people have been put through too much by that monster” … referring to Shapiro, and added, the Governor needed to stop having his friends (presumably in Gaza) killed.
The police affidavit, obtained by TMZ, makes it clear Balmer always intended to turn himself in … he ended the call with, “You all know where to find me. I’m not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done.”
Considering the fact Balmer’s attack came on Passover — hours after Shapiro’s family and friends celebrated the Jewish holiday with a Seder — his motives are crystal clear, and the police affidavit even notes his “political motivation.”
Last night at the Governor’s Residence, we experienced an attack not just on our family, but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
This kind of violence has become far too common in our society, and it has to stop. pic.twitter.com/5HP5JSvgfc
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) April 13, 2025
@GovernorShapiro
As we reported, Balmer also instructed an ex-girlfriend to call police to tell them he had confessed to the attack, but he ended up surrendering to police on his own.
Balmer’s been charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, reckless endangerment, terrorism and other offenses after scaling a fence at Gov. Shapiro’s property, breaking a window with a hammer and then lighting and tossing beer bottles filled with gasoline.
