Cody Balmer is a 38‑year‑old man from the Harrisburg/Penbrook area of Pennsylvania who became widely known after being arrested and later convicted for a politically targeted arson attack on the Pennsylvania governor’s residence in 2025. Public reports describe him as a former auto mechanic with a prior but relatively lower‑level criminal record who is now serving a long prison sentence related to that attack.

Quick profile

  • Name: Cody Allen Balmer.
  • Age: Reported as 38 at the time of the 2025 incident.
  • From: Harrisburg/Penbrook area in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
  • Work background: Described in public records and social media as a certified master auto mechanic offering mobile repair and roadside assistance.

Why he is in the news

Balmer drew national attention after authorities accused him of setting fire to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, where Governor Josh Shapiro and his family live, in April 2025. Prosecutors and investigators characterized the incident as a deliberate, targeted attack that involved breaking into the residence and using Molotov‑style firebombs, leading to charges that included attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and related offenses.

Reported actions and charges

  • Investigators say Balmer walked from his home, siphoned gasoline from a lawnmower into beer bottles, climbed the security fence at the residence, broke windows, and threw incendiary devices inside, starting a fire while the mansion was occupied.
  • Court documents reported that he told police he had planned to attack Governor Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he encountered him inside.
  • He was charged with attempted murder/attempted homicide, terrorism, aggravated arson, burglary, aggravated assault, and related felonies; he was initially held without bail.

Legal outcome

Public court reporting states that in October 2025 Balmer pleaded guilty to multiple counts, including attempted murder and terrorism, for the governor’s residence arson. Under the plea agreement, he received a sentence reported as 25 to 50 years in state prison, with parole eligibility beginning around 2050, and is currently incarcerated at a Pennsylvania state correctional institution near Harrisburg.

Background and personal context

  • Records and reporting indicate that before the arson case, Balmer’s criminal history consisted mainly of traffic offenses plus a 2015 forgery/theft case that led to probation and a 2023 simple assault/domestic‑violence case.
  • Coverage has also highlighted past family‑court disputes, financial strain including foreclosure on his home, and statements from his mother that he struggled with serious mental‑health conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had difficulty getting sustained treatment.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.