Pennsylvania
Trump calls Shapiro arson suspect a ‘whack job,’ Vance says attack ‘really disgusting’
While he at first had little to say about the alleged April 13 attack, Trump said a day later the suspect was “probably just a whack job.”
Fire at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home was arson, police say
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he “woke up to bangs on the door” at 2 a.m. after an arsonist set fire to the governor’s residence.
Members of President Donald Trump’s administration expressed relief that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family weren’t harmed in a suspected arson attack this weekend on their home, while Trump initially told reporters: “I just heard about it… I have to look into it.”
Asked about the incident again a day later while meeting with the president of El Salvador, Trump called the alleged arsonist “probably just a whack job.”
“Certainly a thing like that can not be allowed to happen,” Trump added April 14 in the White House.
A suspected arson at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion forced Shapiro and his family to flee their home at 2 a.m. on April 13, hours after celebrating the start of Passover.
Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and related offenses, Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said in a statement.
“Really disgusting violence, and I hope whoever did it is brought swiftly to justice,” Vice President JD Vance posted on social media, adding that he is thankful Shapiro and his family are safe.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she is “deeply relieved” the Shapiros are unharmed.
“Thankful for the first responders who arrived on the scene, and applaud the police work that resulted in an arrest just hours ago,” Bondi added.
Trump has not commented on social media about the fire. The president told reporters while flying on April 13 to Washington D.C. from Florida that he’d just heard about the incident.
Newly released court documents say Balmer turned himself in and told investigators he was “harboring hatred” toward Shapiro. He also said he would have beaten the governor with a hammer if he had encountered him in the home, records say. It’s unclear if Balmer has an attorney.
Asked Monday if the president has a statement on the suspected arson attack, the White House pointed to Vance’s post on X.
Contributing: Christopher Cann
Pennsylvania
1 killed in crash involving horse and buggy in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania State Police say
One person was killed in a two-vehicle crash involving a horse and buggy in Lancaster County on Wednesday afternoon, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 4000 block of Strasburg Road in Salisbury Township, state police said.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene, according to state police.
Strasburg Road, or Rt. 741, near Hoover Road, is closed in both directions, PennDOT says.
PSP said the Lancaster Patrol Unit, Troop J Forensic Services Unit and Troop J Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialists Unit are on scene investigating the crash.
Pennsylvania
Police hunt for masked suspects who looted a Pennsylvania Lululemon overnight
Pennsylvania police are searching for at least two masked suspects believed to have looted a Lululemon store overnight.
At least two masked men broke into a Lululemon in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, around 2 a.m. Tuesday, police told NBC 10 Philadelphia. Ardmore, a suburb of Philadelphia, is home to about 14,000 people.
The suspected thieves used a sledgehammer to break the glass on the store’s front door, according to police.
Once they gained access, the masked individuals grabbed handfuls of merchandise, security footage shows. The men went in and out of the store several times, grabbing handfuls of items that included coats, vests and shirts from the men’s section, police told local outlet WPVI.
“This is taking it to another level,” Lower Merion Police Superintendent Andy Block told WPVI.
The suspects then loaded the merchandise into a U-Haul truck. Their truck was last seen at the intersection of Bryn Mawr Avenue and Woodbine Avenue, just a few miles from the store, police said.
The entire incident lasted about five minutes, which Block said is longer than usual for this type of burglary.
“Usually, it is because in a smash-and-grab situation they want to get in and get out before they’re identified or anybody’s notified on it,” Block told CBS Philadelphia.
Block told WPVI the store is a popular target for robbers, given that many of its items cost more than $100. Now, he expects the alleged thieves have sold or exchanged the items.
“They’re using it on the market, maybe they’re exchanging it for drugs, or they’re selling it on the black market. It’s a highly sought-after item,” he told WPVI.
Even though police say Lululemon is a popular target, Lt. Michael Keenan of the Lower Merion Police Department still called the incident “out of character.”
“This is an out of character, out of type incident where we don’t normally see people smashing windows in the middle of the night. But, certainly this is something that is distinct,” Keenan told NBC 10 Philadelphia.
The store still opened Tuesday, with a banner covering the smashed glass on the door, according to Fox 29. Gina Picciano, a general manager at a restaurant across the street, said it was a frightening incident.
“I walked out here with my bartender and we looked, and it’s scary that it’s happening right across the way from us,” Picciano told Fox 29.
The same store was previously robbed in May 2024. Thieves stole more than $10,000 worth of merchandise during that incident, NBC 10 Philadelphia reports.
The Independent has contacted the Lower Merion Police Department and Lululemon for comment.
Pennsylvania
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