Who is Cody Allen Balmer? Suspect accused of incendiary attack at the house of Governor Shapiro

The man accused of bombing the house of the governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro during the weekend had fought in recent years with problems in his home life, as well as problems derived from covering his house mortgage, according to the judicial records reviewed by ABC News.

Cody Allen Balmer was arrested Sunday for allegedly breaking into the governor’s house while he and his family were inside and setting fires with two Molotov cocktails.

He was denied the bond in reading charges on Monday.

Before being arrested and accused of attempted homicide, caused fire and terrorism in the attack on the governor’s mansion, Balmer had in court next Wednesday for positions derived from the accusations of domestic assault.

Balmer, 38, had dealt with a prolonged mortgage execution procedures, and the accusations of that he assaulted his then wife and children in the midst of what he told the police that it was his failed attempt of suicide.

He had worked as a car mechanic in the Harrisburg area and served eight years as an army reservist of his last years of adolescence. The US army spokeswoman Heather J. Hagan said in a statement that Balmer was a construction team repair (62b) in the Army Reserve from April 2004 to June 2012. He had no deployment. He was a sergeant when he left the army. The service refused to say if it had been dischariously discharged, citing privacy laws.

In 2022, Balmer was sued by a mortgage lender who sought to execute his Harrisburg house. By June 2024, it owed almost $ 117,000 plus interest. A sale of the sheriff had been established, but Balmer’s lawyer asked that the sale be postponed, saying that Balmer was more difficult to reach the end of the month due to bad luck and marriage conflict.

Balmer had “delayed in his mortgage due to several difficulty factors, including injuries to a car accident that led to his inability to work and maintain an income and separation of his wife,” said his lawyer in judicial documents. Even so, I had just found a buyer despite “numerous problems in and with property” and needed time to finish the sale. The case was dismissed in January 2025 since the parties had “solved” the matter.

At the same time, he had a growing and supposedly violent situation at home, according to judicial documents.

At the end of January 2023, the Local Police was called to a home in the Harrisburg area so it was characterized in judicial documents as an “active domestic physical” incident.

“A boy who called his stepfather was hitting his mother,” said the sworn statement of the officer who responded. The officer replied and outside the house met Balmer’s then wife “in a high state, shouting and crying for her husband, Cody Balmer, having attacked her.”

“Cody was still inside the residence,” said the officer.

Balmer told the officer “that he had taken a bottle full of pills in an attempt to commit suicide,” said the affidavit. “There was an argument between Cody and [his wife] To the point that his 13 -year -old son “had entered between them. Cody then admitted to push his son and that there was a fight between all the parts. Cody showed face injuries.”

Balmer had hit his 10 -year -old son “in his chest and stepped on his broken leg in the middle of a fight with the victim and two others,” and had hit his 13 -year -old son and his wife “with closed fists, and bit his wife causing a sharp wound in hand,” according to the criminal complaint.

An unknown bond of $ 5,000 for Balmer was established, according to a criminal file. The document says this was “to do [it] Easier to be parents. “

In Pennsylvania, the defendants who gave an unbelief bail do not have to publish any money in advance, but must accept paying the amount of the affirmed bond if they do not appear before the Court or violate the bail conditions, according to state law.

The assault case is still pending in Dauphin County. A separate criminal file establishes that an audience in that case was scheduled for next Wednesday.

The available court documents did not indicate if he had submitted a statement in the case of domestic assault. His separate wife and public defender did not immediately respond to the requests for ABC News comments.

Balmer was also previously accused of falsification. Judicial records show that he declared himself guilty and was sentenced to 18 months of probation. Balmer’s separated wife told ABC News on the phone that he had only known him “a couple of times” but “seemed pleasant.”

“I was a bit quiet, alone, a little relaxed, but it seemed pleasant,” said Aunt Janel Jones. I had heard of the fire fire that Balmer is now accused, a “shock” for her, she said.

“It’s a shock. For me, it’s a shock. But you never know: it wasn’t around 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The only person who could give him, as, a better understanding of him would be my niece, his wife,” Jones said, and added that his niece has two daughters with Balmer. “So that’s, this is crazy. This is really crazy,” Jones said.

A Facebook profile reviewed by the Police in relation to Balmer reflects a mixture of family photos with what appeared to be an expression of disdain for politicians on both sides of the hall. His images include selfies with young children with costumes, and other publications include criticism of both President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, the last of which criticized his age and economic policies.

Balmer also made numerous publications complaining about the high cost of living in the United States. In November 2022, he published: “Can’t you pay the rent? Sell your fucking organs! No more organs? F **** dies, then this is the United States grateful for the opportunity you had.”

In a 2022 publication, Balmer shared an image of a Molotov cocktail in embroidered flames, with registration: “I know the light you want to see in the world.”