A fire at night at the governor’s residence in Pennsylvania is being investigated as arson, state police in Pennsylvania said on Sunday.
Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were at the residence during a fire, which was reported about 2 o’clock in the morning.
“The governor and his family were present in a different part of the residence. They were evacuated safely and were not injured,” a state police said.
“My family and I woke up to the bangs at the Pennsylvania State Police after the arson set fire to the Harisburg Governor’s residence. The Harisburg Fire Bureau was at the scene and while they worked to extinguish the fire, and assisted from the residence.
Investigators are on the spot after a fire at night at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harisburg, Pennsylvania (AP Photo/Marc Levy))
Marc Levy/AP
“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” he added.
State police said that while the investigation is ongoing, “State police are ready to say that it was a arson.”
The fire caused “significant damage” to part of the residence, according to state police.
As they work to determine the suspect and a motive behind the alleged arson attack, authorities are looking at whether it can be fueled by the fact that Governor Shapiro is a Jew and the flame was appointed on the first night of Passover, before ABC News, a senior law enforcement officer informed of the investigation.
Governor Josh Shapiro spoke during a press conference on shooting at the UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, State, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
MATT ROURKE/AP
Just hours before the fire, the Pennsylvania governor had posted a photo of Passover’s table for Passover for his family at X, wrote: “From the table of the Seder’s Sedier to your Shapiro family to yours, Happy Passover and Chag Samech!”
State police in Pennsylvania offers a prize of up to $ 10,000 for arrest and a sentence of those responsible for the fire.
Shapiro was elected governor of Pennsylvania in 2022 and was considered vice president as the candidate for the Democratic President in 2024 Kamala Harris before he eventually elected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Shapiro performs two terms as a chief prosecutor of the state before being elected governor.
