Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recounted the arson attack on his home, which occurred after a Passover celebration last weekend, in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday.
Cody Balmer, 38, was arrested after allegedly setting fire to the residence while Shapiro and his family slept inside. Shapiro, who is Jewish, said he and his family were forced to evacuate their home after celebrating the first night of Passover.
Shapiro gave Stephanopoulos a tour of the residence after the attack and detailed how the attacker allegedly evaded security and was able to throw a Molotov cocktail through a window of the home.
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The governor began by showing Stephanopoulos where the intruder was allegedly able to gain access to the property.
“He scaled the fence somewhere right around here,” Shapiro said while standing in front of the fence.
He said the intruder “had a bag that contained some Molotov cocktails and had a metal type of hammer,” and hid in the bushes near the fence before eventually tripping the home’s security sensors.
Shapiro said the security sensor prompted a Pennsylvania State Trooper to arrive at their home, but according to the governor, “it was dark, and the trooper was unable to spot him.”
After evading the trooper, Shapiro said the suspect was able to make his way through a backyard walkway, broke a window with a hammer, and threw a Molotov cocktail into the home.
“That immediately set off a fire and explosion,” the governor said.
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Shapiro then brought Stephanopoulos inside and emotionally described the family’s Passover celebration that took place shortly before the attack.
“Just hours before, Lori and I were seated probably right about here, at a long table, conducting our Passover Seder,” Shapiro detailed. “Three of our four kids were here, the other was in college.”
He continued: “I’m getting emotional just thinking about it — we had our family, we had guests from the community from across Pennsylvania. It was just a really beautiful night.”
The governor said his family and guests were celebrating until about midnight, before the family headed to bed around 1 a.m. The attack took place about an hour later around 2 a.m.
Shapiro and Stephanopoulos then began their sit-down portion of the interview in one of the scorched rooms of the home.
“I was in here at about maybe 3 o’clock in the morning with the fire chief, when it became immediately apparent to me this wasn’t just an accidental fire, a candle being left on or something,” Shapiro told the ABC host.
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Stephanopoulos asked Shapiro if he believes this attack was a hate crime.
“I think that’s a question for the prosecutors to determine. They’re going to determine motive,” he told Stephanopoulos.
The ABC host then asked Shapiro, “What does your gut tell you? This man was talking about Gaza, talking about Palestine, talking about his hatred for you.”
The governor replied that he recognizes “when you’re in these positions of power, there are people out there that want to do you harm,” but he tries not to be “captive to the fear.”
Stephanopoulos argued that while he recognizes Shapiro doesn’t want to be “captive to the fear,” that homeland security has been warning of the rise of these kinds of attacks for years.
“It’s real,” Shapiro replied. “I mean, this is sadly a real part of our society today, and it needs to be universally condemned, George. I don’t care if it’s coming from the left, from the right. I don’t care if it’s coming from someone you voted for, or someone who you didn’t vote for. Someone on your team, or someone on the other team. I think every single leader has the responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity and condemn this kind of violence.”
Shapiro was later asked if President Donald Trump, or anyone from his administration, had reached out to him following the attack.
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The governor told Stephanopoulos that while Trump had not reached out yet, he heard from F.B.I director Kash Patel “immediately” following the attack that day, as well as Attorney General Pam Bondi.
When asked why he believed A.G. Bondi had not yet labeled this attack as an “act of domestic terrorism,” and whether he personally believed it was, Shapiro replied: “I think that’s a question for the prosecutors, both the local district attorney and the Department of Justice.”
Stephanopoulos questioned why the governor didn’t want to answer whether he believed the attack was a hate crime, considering figures such as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had called on the attorney general to label the attack as such.
“I’m not sure it’s helpful for people on the outside to be weighing in with their opinions here, George. No matter who they are,” Shapiro replied. “You’ve asked me a couple of times why I haven’t given you the kind of answer that you’re seeking. I want to explain why.”
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The governor continued: “I know, as a former prosecutor, how important it is to follow the evidence and apply the law, and to do so without fear or favor. In this case I’m the victim of the crime; I’m not the prosecutor. The prosecutors will weigh all of the different evidence and determine what the motive is. I think for me to dwell on that, for me to focus on that, is not my job.”
Stephanopoulos then asked Shapiro what can be done to “combat this kind of hate,” speaking about the rise in antisemitism across the country.
“By speaking and acting with moral clarity, let me explain,” Shapiro said. “Immediately following the assassination attempt on the former president, now-president, in Butler, Pennsylvania, I condemned that in the strongest of terms. I spoke to the victims, I went to Butler. When the assassin who killed the U.S. healthcare CEO was caught in Altoona, Pennsylvania, I immediately went there and condemned that kind of violence in clear terms.”
Shapiro expressed that he feels it’s important “to be leading every day in a way that brings people together and doesn’t just continually divide us,” even when the country isn’t currently dealing with a traumatic event like what happened in Butler or at the governor’s home last weekend.
Fox News’ Deidre Heavey contributed to this report.
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