Former PSP Commissioner Jeffrey Miller said the arson and attempt on Gov. Josh Shapiro's life one year ago was the result of a 'systemic failure' in securing the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg
Former PSP Commissioner Jeffrey Miller said the arson and attempt on Gov. Josh Shapiro 's life one year ago was the result of a 'systemic failure' in securing the Governor 's Residence in Harrisburg, but he also believes enough changes, both visible and less visible, have occurred to address the issues the attack exposed.
Miller speaks on one-year anniversary Miller, a security consultant and former head of security for the NFL and vice president of security for the Kansas City Chiefs, spoke to WGAL on the one-year anniversary of the incident, which occurred during the overnight hours of April 13, 2025.
How the attack unfolded The attack saw Cody Balmer, of Penbrook, scale a fence surrounding the property, evade a trooper searching for him, and then break into the Mansion through a window and set fires with Molotov cocktails.
Balmer was also armed with a hammer, which he used to shatter windows and told prosecutors he would have likely attacked Shapiro with it had the two encountered each other. 'It's very alarming because of how bad it could have been,' Miller said.
Fence alarm sounded, but Balmer evaded detection Miller noted state police guarding the residence that evening did not detect Balmer just outside the perimeter near the location along the fence he used to enter the property.
When Balmer did hop the fence, it triggered an alarm that alerted troopers about a possible intruder. But Miller said Balmer was 'lucky' and evaded detection. Shapiro told News 8 in October that Balmer used a brick gazebo-like structure to hide. 'He wasn't a very large person dressed in all black and made use of some hiding places and he stayed there for a period of time before he moved towards the residence,' Miller said.
The next issue occurred when Balmer shattered glass, tossing a Molotov cocktail inside the reception area. No shatter sensors meant no immediate alarm No shatter sensors meant no alarms went off, even as the first improvised incendiary device set the reception room, which had just hosted a Seder dinner hours earlier, ablaze with the Shapiros and guests staying elsewhere in the mansion.
Locked door prevented greater danger One thing that did make a difference was that a door leading from the reception area into residential parts of the mansion was locked, as operating procedures dictated, preventing Balmer from reaching where the governor, his family and guests were staying. 'He was in there for about two minutes and he tried to get through another door that would have taken him to the interior of the residence and could have put people at risk,' he said.
Focus shifted to evacuation and fire response While the fire burned, Miller said troopers were focused on getting people out of the mansion and coordinating with first responders for fire suppression. It wasn't learned until the next morning that Balmer set the fires. 'After that happened and they went back to the video feeds to figure out how this fire started, that's when they were aware that he started the fire in a purposeful act,' he said.
Miller said the troopers working security that evening 'did their jobs' and primarily blamed the security infrastructure surrounding the residence at the time for enabling Balmer to make as much progress as he did.
Since the attack, $32 million has been spent on hardening security at the residence, including new artificial intelligence-assisted surveillance, shatterproof windows, lighting, a security wall and anti-climb fence, and more security personnel visible on site.
Why didn't such improvements happen earlier? Miller said such systems may not have been installed, even if recommended, because they were not seen as priorities while the previous governor, Tom Wolf, did not live at the residence. 'I think that things were antiquated. They didn't get updated. There's certain other layers that people would have liked to have seen maybe in place, but that didn't happen,' he said.
Former PSP Commissioner Jeffrey Miller Gov. Josh Shapiro Former PSP Commissioner Former Head Of Security For The NFL Governor's Residence Attack One Year Later Cody Balmer Miller Residence Fire Security Consultant Governor Fence Trooper Mansion Residence Attack Window Former Psp Commissioner Fence Alarm Locked Door Guest
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