Pa. arson suspect Cody Balmer was out on bail when he allegedly firebombed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion — as he pulls sick faces outside court
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania man accused of firebombing Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion was out on bail when he allegedly carried out the arson, The Post can reveal.
Cody Balmer’s mother, meanwhile, said she desperately tried to get police to lock up her son prior to the attack.
Balmer, 38,?pulled sick faces as he was hauled back into a Harrisburg courtroom for his arraignment Monday, when he was hit with eight charges including?terrorism, aggravated arson, criminal homicide and prowling at night.
The former mechanic, who said he is now jobless, penniless and lives with his parents, was free after making bail for a 2023 simple assault charge, courts spokesperson Stacey Witalec told The Post.
In that case, he was accused of stomping on his 10-year-old son’s broken leg and battering his wife, according to a police report.
Balmer stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes as Pennsylvania state troopers led him, shackled at the wrists and ankles, into the Dauphin County Magisterial District Courthouse on Monday.?
Judge Dale Klein promptly order him held without bond, to which he replied, “Thank you, ma’am.”
He had a ragged beard and looked gaunt as he struggled to hold his belt-less pants up while being led in and out of the courthouse. He sat breathing heavily in the defendant’s chair as he spoke with the judge.
Police said Balmer?hopped the fence at the official governor’s mansion in Harrisburg about 2 a.m. Sunday and hauled a handful of Molotov cocktails into the historic residence while Shapiro, his wife and his two children slept.?
Shapiro, a Democrat who is Jewish, had just celebrated the first night of Passover. He and his family escaped unharmed, but the damage to the mansion is estimated to be in the millions.
Balmer told the judge that he had no income and had been living with his parents for the last year, and when asked whether he had any kids, replied that he had “a lot” but declined to elaborate.
He also said that “the rumor” about his dangerous mental health was true, and suggested that medication he took to treat it had been negatively affecting him.
“Medication led me to different types of behaviors,” Balmer told the court.
Balmer’s mother, Christie, told CBS News that her son was “mentally ill and he went off his medication” in the days before the fiery attack.
Exactly what mental ailments Balmer suffers from remains unclear, but his mother said she went to four different police departments for help to get her son “picked up” before the firebombing — but was rebuffed each time.
Balmer turned himself in to police Sunday afternoon and allegedly confessed to the attack, according to a Harrisburg police report.?
He told investigators that he made the improvised firebombs with Heineken beer bottles and gasoline from his lawn mower.
Balmer also allegedly told police he was ready to beat Shapiro with a hammer if he encountered the governor inside the mansion, and that he knew the pol’s family was likely inside at the time.
Balmer was represented by a public defender during the hearing, and is expected back in court on April 23.
He was previously due in court on April 16 for a plea hearing over his 2023 assault charges, but it is unclear if that hearing will remain in place.
