The Pennsylvania man charged with firebombing Governor Josh Shapiro’s official residence was awaiting trial on bail in an earlier assault case when he carried out the shocking attack. Balmer, 38, is now confronting eight serious charges, including terrorism, aggravated arson and attempted homicide.
Balmer climbed the fence around the governor’s mansion at about 2 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. He then allegedly hurled multiple Molotov cocktails into the historic home where Gov. Shapiro, his wife and two children were sleeping. The family escaped unharmed. Damage to the property is estimated to be in the millions.
Court officials said Balmer had been released on bail after a 2023 conviction for assault. In that case, he was alleged to have stomped on his young son’s broken leg and attacked his wife.
On Monday, Balmer sat in court dressed disheveled and confused. Shackled at the wrists and ankles, he stuck out his tongue and made faces at the cameras. With a scraggly beard and drooping pants, he looked ghostly and ill. “Thank you, ma’am,” he said after Judge Dale Klein ordered him held without bail.
At the time of the hearing, Balmer acknowledged that he had no job or income and had been living with his parents for the past year. “A lot,” when asked about children, but no further explanation.
His mental health was deteriorating, which he blamed on his medication, he told the judge. “Drugs took me to different kinds of behaviors,” Balmer said.
His mother, Christie Balmer, said she urged law enforcement to step in before the attack, according to CBS News. “He was off his meds,” she said, saying she called four police departments in an effort to have him picked up. “No one helped,” she claimed.
The full picture of Balmer’s mental illness is unclear, though his erratic behavior and prior acts of violence provide troubling clues.
Balmer made the firebombs with Heineken bottles and gasoline from his lawn mower, police said. He reportedly confessed to the attack after he surrendered Sunday afternoon. Investigators say he was ready to attack the governor with a hammer had they crossed paths.
Balmer also told police he knew at the time of the attack that the family was home, increasing the gravity of the charges.
The timing of the arson is particularly unsettling, coming immediately after the Shapiro family celebrated the first night of Passover. Gov. Shapiro, a Democrat and the state’s first Jewish governor, was unharmed.
Images taken inside the palace depict extensive fire destruction. The arson has raised questions about how someone with a violent history was at liberty to commit such a crime.
Balmer is scheduled to appear in court again April 23. He was also due to appear in court April 16 for a plea hearing in the earlier assault case, though it was unclear if that hearing would proceed.
Balmer is being represented by a public defender. The governor’s office has not issued an official statement regarding the suspect or the case.
