Vice President JD Vance on Sunday responded to a fire at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) residence, calling it “really disgusting violence.”
“Thanks be to God that Governor Shapiro and his family were unharmed in this attack,” Vance said in a post on X.
“Really disgusting violence, and I hope whoever did it is brought swiftly to justice,” he added.
Officials said Sunday that 38-year-old Cody Balmer was in custody over the suspected arson at the governor’s residence, which did significant damage to part of the mansion.
Shapiro said that around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, “my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg.”
“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” he added.
Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said during a press conference that charges against Balmer “will include attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person.”
“These are all very serious charges, as with any charges, the defendant is presumed innocent,” Chardo added. “We will file those charges within the next several hours”
Vance wasn’t the only member of the Trump administration to weigh in on the fire, with Attorney General Pam Bondi saying she was “deeply relieved that Governor Shapiro and his family are safe, thankful for the first responders who arrived on the scene, and applaud the police work that resulted in an arrest just hours ago.”
President Trump has not made public comments on the alleged arson as of 11 p.m. Sunday.
Shapiro was among the top contenders to be Vice President Harris’s running mate against Trump in 2024. He is seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in future elections.