Shapiro arson suspect struggled with arrests, foreclosure – and left a violent trail online

The 38-year-old Harrisburg man charged with the attempted murder of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told authorities he hated the Democrat so much, he would have “beaten him with a hammer” had he found him early Sunday morning.

But if politics fueled Cody Balmer’s hate, it was not obvious in his voter registration record — he was not affiliated with any political party — nor in his public digital footprint.

Balmer billed himself as a “master mechanic” on his Facebook profile, where he repeatedly posted about drug use, relationship troubles, and the struggles of parenting, along with memes that ran the political spectrum. Other public records also point to a turbulent life, including a string of run-ins with the law.

The suspect was hospitalized Monday morning “due to a medical event not connected to this incident nor his arrest,” according to state police. He was arraigned Monday evening. In addition to attempted murder, Balmer is charged with aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism, and related offenses.

Balmer’s mother, Christie, told the Associated Press that her son has bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had not been taking his medications. She told reporters she had tried to get him mental-health help in recent days to no avail.

The Inquirer was not able to verify that information.

Balmer walked an hour to the governor’s mansion, where he evaded state police and security assigned to Shapiro, scaling a fence and breaking into the residence, according to a state police affidavit.

He lit a Heineken beer bottle filled with gasoline in the piano room, moving on to the dining room. He was there for about a minute, according to authorities.

Images shared by police of the dining room show extensive damage, which Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline said Monday could cost millions of dollars, given the building’s historic nature.

Shapiro had hosted a Passover Seder there with his family the night before, and the initial call reporting the fire said there were as many as 25 people in the governor’s mansion at the time of the arson. Had a key door in the home not been closed, Enterline said, the fire would have “definitely spread” down a hallway and up to the main staircase to the second floor.

Before Balmer stopped publicly posting to Facebook in summer 2023, he repeatedly posted anti-government sentiment and memes that seemed to advocate for violent acts.

One image is a needlepoint Molotov cocktail with the words “Be the light you want to see in the world.” Another features an anarcho-communist meme depicting a still from a vintage GI Joe cartoon, announcing that “Knowing is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence.”

In another image posted to Facebook, Balmer is shown holding a pistol pointed at the camera.

Still, it’s hard to neatly place the man charged with setting three fires with “Molotov cocktails” in the governor’s mansion early Sunday morning in the political spectrum.

Some posts took jabs at former President Joe Biden, including a custom meme that reads “Biden Owes Me 2 Grand” — a reference to COVID-19 relief checks promised during the 2020 campaign. In another post he wrote, “Biden supporters shouldn’t exist.”

Though Balmer posted a meme with a quote from conservative economist Thomas Sowell, he rarely mentioned President Donald Trump. In a 2021 post commenting that gas prices were lower during the first Trump administration, he remarked, “I dont [sic] play favorites especially since they all suck.”

Balmer also peppered in other memes favorable to former presidential candidates Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard, and Ron Paul.

Along with a string of traffic citations, Balmer pleaded guilty to attempting to pass a forged paycheck in 2015 and was sentenced to 18 months probation.

A 2022 sheriff’s sale notice shows that a property where Balmer was formerly registered to vote was put up for a foreclosure sale. Dauphin County records show Balmer had also been in court multiple times over custody battles involving his children, most recently in 2023.

That year, Penbrook Borough police encountered Balmer after a child called 911 to report that his “stepfather was beating his mother.”

After officers arrived at the scene, Balmer asserted that he “had taken a bottle full of pills in an attempt to kill himself” and that a fight had ensued. However, Balmer’s wife said he had “violently shoved” his stepson and then punched her in the face and bit her hand when she attempted to intervene. That court case is pending.

That year, Balmer stopped working at a Harrisburg auto mechanic — a “mutual” decision, the owner said Monday. Balmer apparently stopped using social media altogether about that time.

According to the most recent criminal complaint, Balmer told an “ex-paramour” that he had attempted to set fire to the governor’s residence and asked her to call the police to report him. She did.

Balmer turned himself in Sunday afternoon.

The arson took place during the first night of Passover. State Police are still exploring Balmer’s motive, including as a potential hate crime.