Man charged in PA governor's mansion fire got past state police protecting Shapiro
Troopers were able to safely evacuate Shapiro's family and others in the mansion at the time, but the incident had onlookers questioning how Balmer was able to evade security.
The man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails into the Pennsylvania governor's mansion and setting a fire managed to scale a fence, break two windows and enter the mansion, all while state troopers were stationed there to protect Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family.
The suspect, Cody A. Balmer, 38, turned himself in and was arrested on charges of attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and other counts, authorities said after the break-in April 13.
Troopers were able to safely evacuate Shapiro's family and others in the mansion at the time, but the incident had onlookers questioning how Balmer was able to evade security. That's a key question investigators said they are working to answer.
"He actively evaded troopers who were here to secure the residence even while they were searching for him on the property," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a news conference, adding that a security review was underway.
It's unfortunate the security measures put in place weren't enough to prevent the attack in the first place, but the most important thing the state troopers at the residence did that night was protect Shapiro and his family, said Jeffrey Miller, former commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police and owner of security consulting company Jeffrey Miller Consulting.
"It could have been a very tragic result had they not acted too quickly," Miller told Paste BN. "I'm sure they'll find out exactly what happened there and what they can do to ensure it doesn't happen again."
What we know about Gov. Shapiro's security detail
Pennsylvania state troopers were on duty the night of the fire, according to an affidavit for Balmer's arrest. Security cameras on the grounds caught much of the incident. Shapiro, Pennsylvania's third Jewish governor, rose to prominence as an outspoken Democratic governor and was on the short list as a candidate for running mate for the Kamala Harris campaign in 2024. He has been governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. He and his family hosted a celebration for the start of the Jewish holiday Passover hours before the fire.
Pennsylvania state police are tasked with protecting the governor, lieutenant governor and their families with a specially trained Executive Services team, Miller said.
Members of the governor's security detail stay with the governor 24/7, plan security for any events or travel he does and stand guard at his residence. Depending on the governor's schedule, state troopers may be standing just outside his office door, off to the side at events or in a vehicle with him, Miller said. At the Governor's Residence, troopers stand guard overnight and may be assigned duties like monitoring surveillance feeds or patrolling the grounds, he said.
The protective and transportation services have been in place for the governor and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania for decades, with the Executive Services division created in 1942. In a shocking move in 2017, then-Gov. Tom Wolf stripped Lt. Gov. Mike Stack of state police protection after allegations Stack and his wife had mistreated state employees, The Associated Press reported.
Pennsylvania state police declined to answer questions about the security detail, citing "operational security concerns" in an email to Paste BN.
How did the arson suspect get past state police?
Authorities said security cameras revealed Balmer's movements the night of the attack.
He was seen climbing over a perimeter fence south of the mansion, according to the affidavit. He broke a window to a piano room using a hammer he brought with him and threw a Molotov cocktail inside, "igniting a substantial fire within," the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office said. He moved to another window and broke the glass, then entered the residence through it. He started more fires using Molotov cocktails inside, kicked open a dining room door and exited. He left the property the way he came, over the fence.
Balmer was able to carry out the attack even after state troopers knew there was an intruder, Bivens said.
"We knew that there had been a breach," he told reporters. "While (troopers) were searching is when he attacked at the residence, broke in and set the fires. So that was all playing out over a period of several minutes. It was a very quick event that occurred."
Shapiro said he was awakened by state troopers banging on the door at about 2 a.m. and the family was evacuated.
Miller said that the entire incident lasted only minutes and that the Governor's Residence is accessible from a public street. People have hopped the fence even at the White House, he said.
"When I heard this, that was my first thought: How was this person able to get that close?" he said. "I have full confidence that they'll determine any gaps that happened and what they need to do immediately to mitigate those gaps."
Security experts including former State Police Commissioner Glenn Walp told NBC News the attack revealed a breakdown of security measures that must be investigated and corrected.
"I was surprised, alarmed, and, quite frankly, I couldn't believe that happened," Walp told the outlet. "From a professional security perspective, the fact that the individual was able to scale the fence and do what he did, that's not security."
How are governors protected from threats?
Each state oversees the protection of its own governor, lieutenant governor and their families. In general, they are protected by state police "executive protection" teams that usually accompany them on trips and stand guard at their homes.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said after the attack on Shapiro that security was top of his mind, ABC News affiliate WLS-TV reported. Illinois state police are also in charge of his security.
"I can't say specifically the kinds of security measures that they'll take that are new and different. What I can say is that there is heightened sensitivity to the idea of an invasion by people of those grounds" of the executive mansion, Pritzker said.
Governors sometimes come under threat of violence, but it's rare for perpetrators to get as close as they did in Pennsylvania. In 2023, a man was arrested for making threats against Shapiro, KDKA reported.
In 2020, an elaborate and violent plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by more than a dozen people was foiled by authorities. Her residence had been breached before, too; in 2019, an intruder broke into cars parked there.
"No one − no public servant, no family − should ever be targeted for doing their job or standing up for what they believe in," Whitmer said in a post on social media after the fire at Shapiro's residence. "Thank you to the first responders whose quick, courageous action protected the Shapiro family."
Miller said that when he heard what happened at the residence, he was surprised but not entirely shocked given what he sees as an escalation of political violence and threats. He said the rise of social media and political divisiveness have made it harder to weed out people posting idle threats from those who could do real harm.
"With attacks on people in the insurance industry, and the attack on President Trump during the campaign and other attacks or plots against, like Gov. Whitmer in Michigan and others, you start to operate in an environment that's a difficult one from the executive protection standpoint."
Contributing: John Bacon and Christopher Cann