May 08, 2025
Provided Image/Commonwealth Media Services
The Pennsylvania Governor's Residence in Harrisburg was heavily damaged in April after an intruder jumped a perimeter fence, broke into the home and started multiple fires. State police plan to install an anti-climb fence and increase security personnel.
Pennsylvania State Police will have an anti-climb fence built around Gov. Josh Shapiro's Harrisburg residence and enhance other security features at the property in the aftermath of last month's break-in and arson, the agency said Wednesday in a letter to state lawmakers.
Col. Christopher Paris, chief of the state police, outlined his plans to bolster security for the governor after hiring an independent consultant to review the flaws that enabled the intruder to evade detection and smash a window to get inside the mansion after midnight on April 13. Cody Balmer, 38, is facing multiple charges and allegedly used Molotov cocktails to ignite several rooms in the governor's home while Shapiro and his family slept after celebrating Passover with guests.
The brick mansion, which sits on a property that spans more than 3 acres, already is surrounded by metal and brick fences that are about 7 feet high. Anti-climb fences typically use features like sharp tips, tightly spaced wires and smooth surfaces that make them difficult to scale.
State police did not publicly release the findings of the independent review of its security lapses because doing so “would obviously risk jeopardizing the safety” of Shapiro and others, Paris wrote in the letter obtained by the Associated Press.
Other measures at the governor's mansion will include "more frequent security assessments" and the creation of a uniformed division tasked with overseeing building security.
No injuries were reported in the fire last month, but photos showed charred remnants in multiple rooms with damage estimated to total millions of dollars. The destroyed property included a number of state artifacts that were removed to be assessed by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
The state Department of General Services began reconstructing the burned section of the mansion days after the fire and set an "aggressive restoration" schedule to enable Shapiro's return and plan for resuming public tours, officials said.
Balmer, who surrendered to state police after fleeing the property, allegedly told investigators he would have attacked Shapiro with a hammer if had encountered him and cited the governor's views on Palestinians as part of his motive for setting the fires, according to police. Balmer is a former U.S. Army Reservist and mechanic who was unemployed and had been struggling with mental health issues, his family said.
After the fire, Shapiro condemned political violence and vowed to continue practicing his Jewish faith without fear of being targeted. Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo, who's prosecuting the case, said last month that he does not plan to pursue ethnic intimidation charges against Balmer.
Balmer is charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault for the attack. He's being held at Dauphin County Prison ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 28.
