“My family and I woke up to the bangs at the door from the Pennsylvania Police,” the governor said.
Police said Sunday that the person was in custody after allegedly arson at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion.
The announcement comes after Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion caught fire overnight, urging the governor and his family to evacuate.
Pennsylvania State Police Colonel Christopher Paris identified the man in custody as Cody Barmer, 38, of Harrisburg. Paris emphasized that the investigation is ongoing in a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said future charges include attempted murder, terrorism, attempted arson and aggravated assault.
Authorities said the suspect jumped onto a fence surrounding the property and forced him into the residence before setting the fire.
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The governor said a Harrisburg firefighter arrived at the scene to put out the fire, but he and his family were evacuated by Pennsylvania troopers.
“Thank God, no one was injured, so the fire went out,” Shapiro said. “Every day we stand up to law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our community.”
Shapiro did not provide further details about the incident, but he and his wife said they were “forever grateful” to the police to keep them safe.
The governor and his wife have four children together: Sofia, Jonah, Max and Reuben. It is unknown how many children were there at the time.
“From the Shapiro Family Cedar Table to your table, Happy Passover, Chagpesach Samych!” he said on social media platform X on the evening of April 12th.
Shapiro and his family were in another part of the mansion at the time of the fire, the statement reads. There were no injuries.
Reporters at the scene said on April 13th that fire was observed on the south side of the residence. There was police presence earlier that afternoon, yellow tape was kicked out of an alleyway, and officers were leading the dogs outside an iron security fence.
During the 2024 presidential election, there was widespread speculation that Shapiro was the Democratic presidential candidate and later on the nominee list as a running companion as former vice president of Kamala Harris. She eventually chose Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
