A few days after a criminal fire attack damaged his official residence, the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, sat with the co-announce of Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos, for an exclusive interview and a visit to the rooms in Carbon.
“It is unfortunately a real part of our society today. And it must be universally condemned, George,” said Shapiro concerning the rise in threats and attacks motivated by political motivations that the Ministry of Home Security has warned in recent years.
Look more about the exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos with Governor Josh Shapiro on “Good Morning America” at 7 am Friday on ABC.
“I don’t care if it comes from the left, from the right. I don’t care that it comes from someone for whom you voted or someone for whom you have not voted, someone in your team or someone from the other team,” continued Shapiro.
The governor spoke with Stephanopoulos in one of the rooms damaged by fire at the Governor’s residence at Harrisburg on Thursday. For the first time together, the governor and first lady Lori Shapiro also toured the damage, with Stephanopoulos.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks with George Stephanopoulos during an interview with ABC News in a room damaged by a fire at the Governor’s residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, April 17, 2025.
ABC News
The attack occurred early on Sunday, a few hours after the Shapiro family welcomed more than two dozen people for the first night of Passover. The aggressor jumped a fence in the governor’s manor, broke the windows and launched Molotov cocktails made from beer and petrol bottles, the police said.
Shapiro and his family were at the residence at the time of the fire but were evacuated safely and not injured, according to the state police.
Harrisburg firefighters, Brian Enterline, described him as “surreal” to see the fire get from the governor’s residence. Fortunately, the main dining room door was closed at the time of the fire, preventing the fire from spreading in the accommodation. If the door had not been closed, Enterline said that Shapiro and his family would have undoubtedly been in danger.
A view of damage to the governor’s residence on the day of the day of the Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State police, gives an update on the act of criminal fire which took place at the residence, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 2025.
Commonwealth media services via Reuters
The suspect of the attack – Cody Balmer, 38 – went and would have told the police that he would have attacked Shapiro with a hammer if he was based on the governor inside the residence, according to court documents.
The alleged adjustment would have decided to bomb the official residence of the Democratic Governor because of “what he wants to do to the Palestinian people” and “based on injustices perceived towards the people of Palestine”, according to police searches.
Balmer faces eight criminal charges, including an attempted murder, terrorism and an aggravated criminal fire. Until now, prosecutors have not invoked a law on hatred crime which, in Pennsylvania, is known as ethnic intimidation.
BALMER – A mechanic who had previously expressed his disdain for democrats on social networks – was denied the release on bond when he charged on Monday.
During the hearing, his lawyer said Balmer was indigent and asked for a “reasonable monetary deposit”, but the judge denied him, saying that even if he appreciated that Balmer went, there was no condition that could prevent him from being a danger to the community.
