NATIONAL NEWS – Pennsylvania Governor John Shapiro’s house set on fire with family inside

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

The Pennsylvania governor’s mansion was set on fire by a man who scaled an iron fence in the middle of the night. Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were inside the house when it was set on fire, but Shapiro and his family were evacuated safely. The man was captured later in the day and is now facing charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault according to the authorities.

Shapiro said that his wife and their four children, two dogs, and another family had celebrated Passover at the house on Saturday and were awakened by state troopers knocking on the doors at around 2:00 AM Sunday. A news conference on Sunday evening was held in front of the house, which was visibly damaged, where Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris identified the man in custody as Cody Balmer, 38, who is a resident of Harrisburg.