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Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shapiro on arson attack of home: ‘The devastation was shocking'
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said 'the devastation was shocking' following the recent arson attack at his residence, adding in a New York Times opinion piece that 'it looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of our home.' 'Windows were smashed in, and there was glass everywhere. Some tables were turned over, and others had just melted away. Artwork from the New Deal era that had hung on display for visitors to enjoy had disintegrated into the walls. Plates we had eaten our Seder dinner on were broken and covered in soot,' Shapiro wrote in the Times. 'The Haggadah — our prayer book for the Seder — was burned so badly, only a few short lines of text were recognizable. The devastation was shocking, and to me, it did not appear to be an accident. The damage was too extreme,' he added. Shapiro said '13 hours after the arsonist invaded our home, I stood at the window that he had climbed through, receiving an update from the Pennsylvania State Police, and then made clear to the people of my state that nothing would deter me from doing my job — and nothing would deter me from practicing my faith openly and proudly.' 'And I meant it. After I concluded my remarks, I rejoined my family to celebrate our second Passover Seder,' he added. According Pennsylvania State Police, the suspect who was arrested in connection with the arson attack at Shapiro's residence pointed to the struggle of the Palestinian people as his motivation. Shapiro told reporters Tuesday that President Trump had called over the weekend to ask about the arson attack. 'He was very gracious. He asked how Lori and the kids were doing. [We] talked for a couple minutes about what transpired at the residence, and then we talked about for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics,' Shapiro said of the call. 'Obviously, I'm not going to get into our private conversation,' he continued, 'but he's attuned to the issues that are important to me. I, of course, know the issues that are important to him, and we agreed to stay in touch going forward.' Shapiro said the call from the president came from his cellphone, so he didn't recognize the number initially and let it go to voicemail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Shapiro on arson attack at home: ‘The devastation was shocking'
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said 'the devastation was shocking' following the recent arson attack at his residence, adding in a New York Times opinion piece that 'it looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of our home.' 'Windows were smashed in, and there was glass everywhere. Some tables were turned over, and others had just melted away. Artwork from the New Deal era that had hung on display for visitors to enjoy had disintegrated into the walls. Plates we had eaten our Seder dinner on were broken and covered in soot,' Shapiro said in the Times. 'The Haggadah — our prayer book for the Seder — was burned so badly, only a few short lines of text were recognizable. The devastation was shocking, and to me, it did not appear to be an accident. The damage was too extreme,' he added. Shapiro said '13 hours after the arsonist invaded our home, I stood at the window that he had climbed through, receiving an update from the Pennsylvania State Police, and then made clear to the people of my state that nothing would deter me from doing my job — and nothing would deter me from practicing my faith openly and proudly.' 'And I meant it. After I concluded my remarks, I rejoined my family to celebrate our second Passover Seder,' he added. According Pennsylvania State Police, the suspect who was arrested in connection with the arson attack at Shapiro's residence pointed to the struggle of the Palestinian people as his motivation. On Tuesday, Shapiro said that President Trump called over the weekend to ask about the arson attack. 'He was very gracious. He asked how Lori and the kids were doing. [We] talked for a couple minutes about what transpired at the residence, and then we talked about for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics,' Shapiro said of the call. 'Obviously, I'm not going to get into our private conversation,' he continued, 'but he's attuned to the issues that are important to me. I, of course, know the issues that are important to him, and we agreed to stay in touch going forward.' Shapiro said that the call from the president came from his cell phone, so he didn't recognize the number initially and let it go to voicemail.
The Guardian
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Pennsylvania governor details arson attack on his home after Passover Seder
Pennsylvania's governor, Josh Shapiro, has for the first time revealed details of the April arson attack against his residence, describing shattered windows, melted furniture and artwork 'disintegrated into walls' after an intruder firebombed his family home following their Passover celebration. 'Windows were smashed in, and there was glass everywhere. Some tables were turned over, and others had just melted away,' Shapiro wrote in an essay in The New York Times on Wednesday. 'The devastation was shocking, and to me, it did not appear to be an accident. The damage was too extreme. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of our home.' The Democratic governor recounted being awakened at 2am by a state trooper banging on their door, telling the family they needed to evacuate immediately. Shapiro and his wife rushed to gather their children and dogs before fleeing down a back stairwell to safety. When allowed back inside to view the damage, Shapiro saw an eerily quiet scene with water dripping from the ceiling and his feet 'sloshing on the soaked floor'. He said the state dining room, where the family had hosted their Seder just hours before, was unrecognizable. 'Artwork from the New Deal era that had hung on display for visitors to enjoy had disintegrated into the walls,' he wrote. 'Plates we had eaten our Seder dinner on were broken and covered in soot. The Haggadah — our prayer book for the Seder — was burned so badly, only a few short lines of text were recognizable.' According to authorities, 38-year-old Cody Balmer allegedly scaled a fence, broke windows with a hammer and used homemade Molotov cocktails fashioned from Heineken bottles filled with gasoline to set multiple fires in the mansion. Police said surveillance footage captured Balmer breaking in and fleeing the scene. Balmer was arrested the same day after allegedly confessing to an ex-girlfriend. During questioning, he reportedly admitted 'harboring hatred' toward Shapiro and told investigators he would have attacked the governor with a hammer had he encountered him. The suspect faces multiple charges including attempted murder, terrorism, and aggravated arson. He was denied bail at his initial court appearance and could face additional federal charges. In his essay, Shapiro explained that hours after the suspect's arrest, his family proceeded with their second planned Passover Seder, saying how the attack would not deter him from his duties or from practicing his faith 'openly and proudly'. The governor told reporters on Tuesday that Donald Trump had called him a few days after the attack to check on his family, saying the president 'was very gracious'. His essay concluded with a plea to address political violence in the country, writing: 'this level of violence has to stop. It is our shared responsibility to do better.'
New York Times
23-04-2025
- General
- New York Times
Gov. Josh Shapiro: Finding Moral Clarity After an Arsonist's Attack
I woke up to yelling in the hallway. A few seconds later, there was a bang on the door. It was just after 2 a.m., and a state trooper in the hallway of our private living quarters at the governor's residence said there was a fire in the building. We needed to evacuate immediately. My wife, Lori, and I ran to the bedrooms where our kids and two dogs were sleeping. We got them up quickly and followed the trooper down a back stairwell to the driveway. At that point, standing in the cold, damp air, knowing that all the kids were accounted for, we began to wonder what had happened. We thought it must be some kind of accident — perhaps a candle had been left burning and tipped over, something had short-circuited or there had been a malfunction in the kitchen. But once the fire was extinguished — and firefighters were tackling the last few hot spots — the chief of the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire took me back inside to see the damage. As I walked through the doorway, my nose burned from the smell of smoke. It was eerily quiet, but I could hear water dripping from the ceiling. My feet sloshed on the soaked floor. The beautiful state dining room — where my family and I celebrated our Passover Seder with family and community just a few hours earlier — was completely destroyed. Windows were smashed in, and there was glass everywhere. Some tables were turned over, and others had just melted away. Artwork from the New Deal era that had hung on display for visitors to enjoy had disintegrated into the walls. Plates we had eaten our Seder dinner on were broken and covered in soot. The Haggadah — our prayer book for the Seder — was burned so badly, only a few short lines of text were recognizable. The devastation was shocking, and to me, it did not appear to be an accident. The damage was too extreme. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of our home. As I looked around in horror, I found myself picturing where each of my kids and our guests sat the previous evening as we prayed and recounted the story of our ancestors escaping bondage thousands of years ago. As we moved our family to a secure location, I began receiving updates from the Pennsylvania State Police on what had happened: I was told with certainty that the fire was a deliberate, targeted attack by an arsonist. As we would learn in the coming days, the alleged arsonist had intended to beat me with the hammer he carried with him when he broke into the governor's residence, had he found me there. As our kids woke up that morning after a traumatic night, Lori and I thought it was important to tell them honestly what we knew and what we didn't. I was focused on being a good dad, a good husband and a good governor — in that order. We shared with them that the fire hadn't been an accident, that someone had done this intentionally. That the police were searching for who did it. That we were safe where we were. And that I was confident we would get the person — or people — who had done this. We tried to be there for them and answer their questions as best we could. And 13 hours after the arsonist invaded our home, I stood at the window that he had climbed through, receiving an update from the Pennsylvania State Police, and then made clear to the people of my state that nothing would deter me from doing my job — and nothing would deter me from practicing my faith openly and proudly. And I meant it. After I concluded my remarks, I rejoined my family to celebrate our second Passover Seder. That day, the police arrested the suspect, but as the investigation continued, people began to ascribe their own beliefs onto what they thought happened — and why. I believe in the rule of law, and for the rule of law to work, prosecutors and law enforcement officials need to be able to do their jobs and investigate without fear, favor or political pressure. It is not my job to opine on what the motive was or what the charges should be. As has become typical, people rushed to assert their uninformed opinions to get likes or make a headline or suit their own narrative, seeking some solace or validation that whatever motivated the arson suspect and his actions would suit their view of the world. Ultimately, prosecutors will determine what motivated this act of violence, and we trust them to do their important work. But as I said in Butler after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and as I said in Altoona after the police captured the individual who has been charged with the murder of the UnitedHealthcare C.E.O., this type of violence has no place in our society, regardless of what motivates it. It doesn't matter if it's coming from one side or the other, directed at one party or another or one person or another. This level of violence has to stop. It is our shared responsibility to do better. As elected leaders, we have an additional responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity. To not just call out what's right and what's wrong but also to do the hard work of bringing people together to find common ground in a world that's constantly trying to divide us. William Penn founded our commonwealth as a place where all would be welcome — a place of tolerance and understanding where people of different faiths could live together in peace. This experience has made me more determined than ever to not only welcome people of all faiths back to the governor's residence — where we've lit Christmas trees, held iftars and danced at a bar mitzvah — but also to do my part to address the political division and violence in America today. On Thursday at the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire, an elderly man named John Wardle, the Christian chaplain from the Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department, gave me a letter signed by every member of his department. On the back of the letter, he had handwritten a prayer for our family, from Numbers 6:24-26: I cried when I read this. Because it's known to us as the priestly blessing, and it happens to be the same prayer that Lori and I have recited to each of our children every night in Hebrew before they go to bed for more than two decades: Moments like that have given us strength over the past week. The prayers, blessings and messages of support we've received have lifted us up and shown us the way forward in the wake of a traumatic event. Those moments have served as yet another reminder of our common humanity. A recognition that there is far more that binds us together than divides us — no matter what those who stoke that division would have us believe. I believe our political divide can be repaired. But our leaders must act with moral clarity and take their cues from the good people of this nation, who in times of tragedy always seem to find our better angels.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shock, sadness and resolve in the wake of arson attack on Pennsylvania governor's residence
The Pennsylvania governor's residence on April1 3, 2025, after a fire led to the evacuation of Gov. Shapiro and his family. It is being investigated as arson. (Photo Ian Karbal/Pennsylvania Capital-Star) The smell of fire was still strong on the side lawn of the governor's residence around 5:00 pm on Sunday, hours after an arson attack on the governor's residence in Harrisburg. As Governor Josh Shapiro held a press conference to announce an arrest in the incident, he stood in front of a large reception room that had been set up for a Passover Seder. It was blackened and charred. The wreckage could be seen though busted windows and doors. It was almost unrecognizable from the night before when the governor, who is Jewish, held a Seder for family and friends to mark the first night of the Passover holiday. A photo of the preparation posted to his Facebook page on Saturday showed a Seder plate on a gold table cloth, an open bottle of wine and copies of the Haggadah, a Jewish text about the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt brought out every year for the holiday. Hours after the Seder ended, Shapiro said he and his family were woken up by a member of his security detail banging on his door. The state trooper said they had to evacuate immediately. Someone had broken into the residence, set the reception room ablaze with a homemade incendiary device, and was able to get out before being apprehended. According to State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, the attack appeared planned and methodical. Shapiro, his wife and children, their two dogs and another family that was staying with them were all evacuated safely. The fire was extinguished. So far, no motive has been determined, and it's unclear if the attack was at all related to the holiday or Shapiro's Jewish heritage, though a suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, is in custody. Speaking to the press from a podium on the lawn, Shapiro was visibly emotional. He said the event traumatized his family and the governor's residence staff. 'If this individual was trying to deter me from doing my job as your governor, rest assured, I will find a way to work even harder than I was just yesterday,' Shapiro said. '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.' 'We'll clean this up, we'll get it repaired, we'll get it rebuilt, we'll get rid of that smell of fire and smoke, and we'll be back very soon,' Shapiro added. 'We'll be back to welcome the community into this residence.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
