New photos have been released capturing the horrific aftermath of a suspected arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home.
In a social media post Sunday, the Democratic governor announced that he and his family were woken up in their home at 2 a.m. by police alerting them that a fire had been set ablaze to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Shapiro and his family were able to evacuate safely and the fire was successfully extinguished.
A 38-year-old suspect, identified as Cody Balmer, has been taken into custody, officials announced in a news conference Sunday afternoon. Balmer is expected to be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person.
Photos published by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s website show the stark damage done to the property which was left destroyed and ashen following the incident. Shapiro said Sunday that the fire was lit in a room where he and his friends and family celebrated Passover Seder the night prior.
The newly released photos show the charred remains of the family’s celebrations just hours earlier.
Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement Sunday morning that the fire had left a “significant amount of damage” to part of the residence. They also added that it was “an act of arson.”
Authorities allege that Balmer hopped over a fence to forcibly enter the residence. They further claimed that he had homemade incendiary devices, with police deputy commissioner George Bivens saying that the attack seemed to have been meticulously planned.
“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 in a news conference Sunday. “Again, proudly, no one will deter me or my family, or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly.”
“This type of violence is not OK,” he continued. “This kind of violence has become far too common in our society. And I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one side or the other … It is not OK and it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”
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