A 38-year-old Harrisburg man was taken into custody and expected to be charged with the attempted murder of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family in connection with the arson fire set inside the state governor’s mansion early Sunday morning, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Authorities identified the man as Cody Balmer, who has a Harrisburg post office address. He is expected to be charged with a litany of crimes, including attempted murder and terrorism.

Shapiro, first lady Lori Shapiro, and their children were evacuated from the governor’s residence in Harrisburg at about 2 a.m. Sunday morning after the fire was set in the home.

During a news conference late Sunday afternoon, police did not immediately identify a potential motive. Officials said Balmer entered the premises, which is under constant monitoring by state police, by clearing a fence. He then briefly gained access to the inside of the home.

“He clearly had a plan,” Lt. Col. George Bivens of the state police said. “He was very methodical in his approach, and moved through it without a lot of hurry.”

Balmer was taken into custody Sunday afternoon in Harrisburg. State police were still collecting evidence Sunday, and investigators were being assisted by the FBI and other federal partners.

Shapiro, 51, is a first-term governor who is seen as a front-runner to be the 2028 Democratic nominee for president after cultivating a national profile as a moderate. He is one of the nation’s most prominent Democratic elected officials and Pennsylvania’s third Jewish governor, who talks often about his faith and how it shapes his leadership.

On Saturday evening, the first night of Passover, Shapiro posted a photo of his family’s seder dinner at the governor’s residence.

It appeared the fire was set in the same room where the dinner was held.

An emotional Shapiro condemned the violence during the news conference, saying, “This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society ... We have to be better than this. And we have a responsibility to all to be better.”

He added: “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 again proudly.”

Investigators said they were still probing how Balmer allegedly gained access to the property. Col. Christopher L. Paris described the investigation as “very active and dynamic,” and said the complex crime scene was still being processed Sunday afternoon.

Officials said they did not expect Balmer to be charged with conspiracy, suggesting that investigators believe he worked alone.

Shapiro was in contention to be former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election, before she ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. He has also been credited by national media for toeing the line in the initial months of President Donald Trump’s second term by suing him on three occasions, but avoiding constant criticism of him during a hyper-partisan time.

The governor thanked the president and federal authorities for supporting the investigation. He said Sunday that he spoke to FBI Director Kash Patel, who “was extremely kind and courteous and thoughtful in his conversation with me.”

It was unclear the extent of the damage on the 29,000-square-foot mansion along the Susquehanna River. Photos of the scene show a blackened door and broken windows, among other damage.

The governor lives in the residence when he is not at his home in Abington Township. He has four children, two of whom are still minors who attend private school in Montgomery County.

He also often uses the residence for events, including as a place for budget negotiations, which are set to begin in the coming months.

There was bipartisan condemnation of the attack Sunday from elected officials and former governors.

Former Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican and the nation’s first secretary of Homeland Security, said in a statement that whoever is responsible for the fire “must be held to account.”

“The images showing the damage to the home we lived in with our children for nearly eight years are heartbreaking,” Ridge said. “All of us should feel safe in our homes, especially when that home is our state’s official residence, which makes this particularly shocking.”

State Attorney General Dave Sunday, a Republican, said in a statement he was relieved that Shapiro and his family were unharmed and his office “stands ready with any resources needed to find the culprit of this senseless act of violence.”

House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, called the arson a “senseless, disgusting act” and “reprehensible and the perpetrator should face the full weight of the law.”

State Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, and Rep. Dan Frankel, D- Allegheny, who chairs the bicameral Legislative Jewish Caucus in the statehouse, said they are awaiting more details from law enforcement but “can’t ignore the fear and anxiety reverberating through Jewish communities.”

“What we know is deeply troubling: the state police believe it was arson, and that it took place on the first night of Passover — one of the most sacred and widely observed nights in Jewish tradition," Schwank and Frankel added.

“Some moments stop you cold. This depraved act is one of them,” said State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, who is also a vice chair for the Democratic National Committee. “I’m deeply grateful that Josh, Lori, their family, and the Governor’s Residence staff are safe after such a terrifying act on their home.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., who is considering a run against Shapiro in 2026, wrote on X that “violence has no place in our politics.”

“What happened last night was not just an attack on one family, it was an attack on the values we all share as Americans,” Meuser added. “And it is particularly disgraceful that this occurred on Passover — a sacred time of faith, freedom, and reflection."

And Greg Rothman, chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, said in a statement that the incident was “shocking and troubling.”

“If it is determined that this was a criminal act, those responsible should face swift justice,” Rothman said. “There is no place for violence, arson, and the destruction of property in our society.”

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(Staff writer Hira Qureshi contributed to this article.)

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