Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's House Lit Afire

Suspected arsonist Cody Balmer has been denied bail for the crime of setting fire to  Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence. 

At 38 years old, Balmer is facing charges that include attempted homicide, terrorism, aggravated arson, and more. During an arraignment on Monday, Magistrate District Judge Dale Klein suggested that Balmer “remain in jail” for a long time.  

Police tell CNN that Balmer climbed over a fence and broke into the governor's home on Sunday morning. He then set the fire using a homemade Molotov cocktail made with beer bottles and lawn mower gasoline.  

All the citizens inside the house were forced to evacuate, including Shapiro and his wife Lori,  their four children and two dogs, and another family. The Harrisburg residence was significantly damaged by the fire, yet no injuries were reported.  

Balmer has confessed to “harboring hatred” for Shapiro and said that he would have beaten the governor with a hammer had they encountered one another, according to CNN. He said that he was aware of the possibility that the governor could be in the house and that he could have hurt people, court records state.  

“That’s crazy- he really targeted [Shapiro]. Like he had no regard for his family or neighbors,” said Umar Johnson, a first-year student from Philadelphia. “It’s just showing  how emboldened people are under Trump, like they feel as if they have the right to take matters  into their own hands and escalate things in insane and violent ways.” 

Authorities are still in search of a motive and are exploring the possibility of antisemitism being a factor in the crime, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Fran  Chardo, CNN reports. 

“I can’t speak to it directly because it’s not of record. We’re  looking at the possibility that it was geared towards the governor’s religion and his views on  Israel,” Chardo told CNN on Monday.

Investigators also seem to be under the impression that mental health issues could also be a contributing factor is Balmer committing the crime. Officials were reportedly struck by how  “casual and relaxed” the suspect was throughout the process, CNN reports.  

Christie Balmer, mother of the suspect, told CBS News that her son was “mentally ill, went off  his meds, and this is what happened.” When asked to confirm his by Judge Klein, Cody Balmer  said, “That’s the rumor, but no.”