The 38-year-old mechanic from Pennsylvania accused of firebombing Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home made multiple strange faces while being marched to and from court Monday.
Cody Balmer was denied bail after being charged with terrorism and multiple other offenses.
Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo announced that Balmer was charged with terrorism, attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, and other related offenses Monday afternoon following the shocking incident over the weekend.
Chardo said the suspect admitted to breaking a window in the Governor’s Residence early Sunday morning and tossing in two Molotov cocktails that ignited a massive fire and charred the mansion, causing extensive damage to the structure. Shapiro and his family were asleep at the time but were evacuated by local authorities.
No one was injured as a result of the fire.
At an arraignment on Monday, Balmer was seen in front of cameras making bizarre faces and sticking his tongue out as he walked towards the court building. He again made similar faces as he was marched out of the arraignment.
Balmer did not enter a plea. His attorney, Colton Whitener, explained to CNN: “We are declining any comments regarding the allegations against Mr. Balmer until more information is learned.” Magistrate District Judge Dale Klein recommended Balmer remain in jail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 23.
According to the arrest affidavit, Balmer took gasoline from a lawn mower and poured it into Heineken bottles he had at home to create the Molotov cocktails.
Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline described the scene as “surreal” when he arrived at the Governor’s Residence about 15 minutes into the blaze.
“The city of Harrisburg and Harrisburg Bureau of Fire, as well as the governor of Pennsylvania, were the targets of a domestic terrorism incident when the governor’s mansion was firebombed by a domestic terrorism suspect,” he told reporters on Monday.
Balmer admitted to “harboring hatred” toward Shapiro and said he would have used a hammer to attack the governor if they had come face to face, the affidavit alleges.
Shapiro became visibly emotional as he decried violence in a news conference on Sunday.
“I refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love, stop me from being a leader of this commonwealth and looking out for all Pennsylvanians,” he said.
The suspect’s mother, Christie Balmer, told CBS News that her son was “mentally ill” and “went off his meds, and this is what happened.”
Investigators who spoke to CNN also said mental health issues may have played into the case, with officials noting how casual and relaxed Balmer was throughout the incident and in his interactions with authorities.
Balmer is an auto mechanic who has had nearly a dozen run-ins with the law over the past decade for offenses such as forgery, simple assault, and driving a vehicle while his operating privilege was suspended or revoked, public records show. He has also faced financial woes over the foreclosure of his home in Harrisburg.
In January 2023, Balmer took “a bottle full of pills” during a suicide attempt and then got into a fight with his wife and two sons, aged 10 and 13, according to records from the Penbrook Police Department obtained by CNN.
Balmer’s wife told police that he punched her in the face, bit her hand, and also hit both of his sons. The suspect was charged with three counts of simple assault, and the case remains open.
Biden supporters shouldn’t exist. Where were you his first run? Well aware of the trash he is. As for the second, still knew what scum he is. Now why did y’all forget? What, because he did?
Posted by Cody Balmer on Friday, January 15, 2021
Balmer’s former employer, Kindermans Auto Repair, wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that he had not worked for the company in over two years.
“While we are saddened to learn of these current charges, we fully support our men and women in law enforcement as well as our government officials,” it said.
Though Balmer is not affiliated with any political party, his Facebook posts hint at his political leanings.
In January 2021, the suspect wrote that “Biden supporters shouldn’t exist.”
“Where were you his first run? Well aware of the trash he is,” he said. “As for the second, still knew what scum he is. Now why did y’all forget? What, because he did?”
Later that year, Balmer posted: “RIP Joe Biden….. Whoops thats in may, #notmypresidenteither.”
Trump on the arson attack on Gov. Shapiro: “The attacker was not a fan of Trump I understand. Just from what I read and what I’ve been told … probably just a whack job.” pic.twitter.com/IB0NFrcW9k
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
When asked about the incident, President Donald Trump said Balmer was “probably just a whack job.”
“The attacker was not a fan of Trump, I understand, just from what I’ve read and from what I’ve been told. The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody’s,” he told reporters at the Oval Office. “And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”
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