PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Less than one week after the governor’s residence in Harrisburg was set on fire, the 911 call from the suspected arsonist has been released.
The call, made by Cody Balmer less than an hour after the fire, opens with him apologizing for not having an emergency, and abruptly stating, “Gov. Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.”
The audio, released by Dauphin County, goes on for about a minute, with Balmer baselessly claiming the governor was somehow targeting his family.
“He needs to leave my family alone,” Balmer continued. “He needs to get his eyes off my daughters, and he needs to stop having my friends killed, like he had many killed two weeks ago, or last week on Saturday. Our people have been put through too much by that monster. All he has is a banquet hall to clean up. I'm tired of offering extensions of peace. I only want to be able to provide for my children. I should not be taken to these extremes, it’s not fair.”
Balmer said he wishes no harm on anyone, but said Shapiro “is doing serious, serious harm.”
Shapiro, who is Jewish, has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and has been supportive of a two-state solution.
The statements call into question whether hate crime charges will be filed against Balmer.
“In this case, I’m the victim of the crime, I’m not a prosecutor,” said Shapiro in an interview with ABC earlier this week. “The prosecutors will weigh all of the different evidence and determine what the motive is. I think for me to dwell on that… to focus on, that’s not my job.”
🎧 Full Phone call
The Shapiro family was evacuated in the early morning of April 13, just hours after celebrating the first night of Passover. Balmer, 38, was arrested later that day for committing the arson, lighting several molotov cocktails in the residence after hopping a fence and gaining access to the mansion. He then successfully escaped.
Balmer ended the 911 call by saying, "You all know where to find me. I’m not hiding, and I will confess to everything I’ve done.”
Balmer has a history of sharing his disdain for Democrats on social media. On Monday, he was denied bail. He faces charges including attempted homicide, terrorism and arson.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next week.