Connect with us

Sports

Police reveal man scaled fence before arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov's family home

A man scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion where he set a fire that left significant damage and forced Gov. Josh Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building, authorities said on Sunday. The man, captured later in the day, […]

Published

on

Police reveal man scaled fence before arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov's family home

A man scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion where he set a fire that left significant damage and forced Gov. Josh Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building, authorities said on Sunday.

The man, captured later in the day, will face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities said.

Shapiro said he, his wife, their four children, two dogs and another family had celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover at the residence on Saturday and were awakened by state troopers pounding on their doors at about 2 a.m. Sunday.

Firefighters extinguished the fire early Sunday morning and no injuries were reported.

A suspect, identified as Cody Balmer, 38, was arrested nearby later in the day, police said.

Authorities said they were investigating how someone was able to elude police to break into the governor’s residence in Harrisburg.

A charred piano, left, is visible inside the Pennsylvania governor’s official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris said the fire was a carefully planned attack but emphasized the investigation is continuing. He did not give a possible motive.

Balmer apparently scaled an iron security fence that stands around 7 feet (2.1 meters) and is monitored by security cameras, police said.

Police became aware someone had climbed over the fence and began a pursuit on the grounds but initially didn’t locate anyone.

Police allege Balmer broke into the southern wing of the residence, entering a room often used to entertain crowds and display art, and set a fire using a homemade incendiary device. Police declined to elaborate on the device, but the fire left significant damage to the room, charring walls, tables, buffet serving dishes, plates and a piano. Window panes and brick around doors and windows were blackened.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference at the governor’s official residence about a suspected arson fire that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Balmer was inside for around a minute before he left and escaped the premises, authorities said.

Authorities said Balmer will face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault.

Balmer has faced criminal charges over the past decade including simple assault, theft and forgery, according to online court records. He drew a sentence of probation after guilty pleas to theft and forgery counts. Simple assault charges from 2023 appeared unresolved.

Charred wood trim and brick are visible at the Pennsylvania governor’s official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Authorities did not say whether Balmer has a lawyer or where he was being held. Calls to people believed to be his relatives went unanswered or unreturned on Sunday. One recent residence listed for him in Harrisburg was condemned in 2022.

Who is Josh Shapiro?

Shapiro, 51, is the first-term governor of the nation’s fifth-most populous state, a presidential battleground that has helped make him a rising star in the Democratic Party and viewed as a potential White House contender in 2028.

Shapiro said he, his wife, their four children, two dogs and another family had celebrated Passover at the residence on Saturday and were awakened by state troopers pounding on their doors at about 2 a.m. Sunday.

Firefighters extinguish flames after an arsonist set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence (Capitol City Fire Photos)

Shapiro has been outspoken about his Jewish faith.

He used his first ad in his campaign for governor in 2022 to tell family stories and describe his commitment to making “it home Friday night for Sabbath dinner,” complete with footage of him and his children at the table.

“Family and faith ground me,” he said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference at the governor’s official residence about a suspected arson fire that forced him, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

In stump speeches and his election-night victory speech, Shapiro regularly quoted an ancient rabbinic maxim: “No one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it.”

Attack happened during Passover

The attack happened on the Jewish holiday of Passover, which began at sundown Saturday.

The holiday commemorates the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt, including their 40-year journey through the desert. It is one of the holiest days of the year for Jews and is celebrated with a special meal called a Seder, which includes the eating of matzah, a type of unleavened bread, and the retelling of the Exodus story.

Shapiro had celebrated with a Seder at the official residence with his family and members of the Jewish community in the same room where authorities said the fire was set.

Sports

VOLLEYBALL: Four years – Yale Daily News

Yale Athletics The Yale women’s volleyball team won their third straight Ivy League title this season. They cruised past their conference opponents during the regular season, only falling to Princeton in four sets and Cornell in five — both teams that they later crushed in the Ivy League Tournament. In the past four years, the […]

Published

on




Yale Athletics

The Yale women’s volleyball team won their third straight Ivy League title this season. They cruised past their conference opponents during the regular season, only falling to Princeton in four sets and Cornell in five — both teams that they later crushed in the Ivy League Tournament.

In the past four years, the squad has accumulated an impressive 48–8 Ivy League record and three NCAA Tournament appearances under Head Coach Erin Appleman, who was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

This season, the Bulldogs fell to North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Although they won the first set 25-18 with contributions from all hitters and a great service run from senior Cara Shultz ’25, known for her unique serve, they dropped the next three sets to the talented Tar Heels.

The five players in the class of 2025 — Shultz, Fatima Samb ’25, Bella Chan ’25, Mila Yarich ’25 and Carly Diehl ’25 — have earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region, All-Ivy and All-Eastern College Athletic Conference accolades between them.





Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Roseville track and field athlete Jayda Wilson looks to Minnesota record books

“I can watch back, even when I PR, and I’m like, ‘Wow, it was a good jump, but there’s still so much room for improvement,’ ” Wilson said. In addition to a fifth-place Class 3A finish in pole vault as a freshman and first place last year, Wilson placed second in long jump as a […]

Published

on


“I can watch back, even when I PR, and I’m like, ‘Wow, it was a good jump, but there’s still so much room for improvement,’ ” Wilson said.

In addition to a fifth-place Class 3A finish in pole vault as a freshman and first place last year, Wilson placed second in long jump as a sophomore with a personal-best of 18-5½. Her track and field success has caught the eye of multiple Big Ten schools, including Minnesota, which has offered her a scholarship.

“I think what sets Jayda apart is she’s just fearless,” Ueland said. When Wilson is asked to make changes, “she’s willing to throw it all out for the big picture, which is really hard for a high school kid to do, hard for us adults to do.”



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

High school volleyball: Southern Section boys’ playoff results

SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS FRIDAY’S RESULTS FINALS At Cerritos College DIVISION 1 Mira Costa d. Huntington Beach, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 29-31, 15-11 At Mater Dei DIVISION 2 Mater Dei d. Peninsula, 20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19 At Crossroads DIVISION 8 Wildwood d. Katella, 3-0 SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE FINALS At Cerritos College DIVISION 3 Orange Lutheran vs. […]

Published

on


SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

FINALS

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 1

Mira Costa d. Huntington Beach, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 29-31, 15-11

At Mater Dei

DIVISION 2

Mater Dei d. Peninsula, 20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19

At Crossroads

DIVISION 8

Wildwood d. Katella, 3-0

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

FINALS

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 3

Orange Lutheran vs. Tesoro, 10 a.m.

DIVISION 5

Esperanza vs. Kennedy, 12:30 p.m.

DIVISION 9

CAMS vs. Downey Calvary Chapel, 3 p.m.

DIVISION 6

Quartz Hill vs. El Toro, 6 p.m.

At Santa Barbara

DIVISION 4

Sage Hill vs. Santa Barbara, 1 p.m.



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Jefferson boys beat Morristown in NJAC Tournament final

FLORHAM PARK – Allan Czerwinski didn’t want to play in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference volleyball final on Friday night. Czerwinski had a lot on his mind. His father, Bodgan, had died suddenly the previous day at age 50. Czerwinski hadn’t even gone to school. But when the Jefferson volleyball team began walking from head […]

Published

on


FLORHAM PARK – Allan Czerwinski didn’t want to play in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference volleyball final on Friday night. Czerwinski had a lot on his mind.

His father, Bodgan, had died suddenly the previous day at age 50. Czerwinski hadn’t even gone to school.

But when the Jefferson volleyball team began walking from head coach Gino Rose’s classroom to get on the bus, Czerwinski was there to meet them.

His presence on the court gave the Falcons a much-needed emotional lift in their 25-21, 25-23 victory against Morristown. It is Jefferson’s first boys volleyball title in its third appearance.

After the Falcons (10-12) came from behind to clinch victory, Allan and his older brother Patrick Czerwinski shared a long, tearful hug on the court. Allan’s teammates formed a semicircle around them, applauding quietly.

Each of the Jefferson players had written “B.C.” on their wrists, either on tape or bare skin – and also put the initials on their shoes.

Rose handed Allan the NJAC plaque. Tears mixed with sweat as Czerwinski held it up to the rafters at the FDU-Florham Recreation Center.

“I want to thank my dad for being the man who raised me. I couldn’t do anything without him,” said Czerwinski, a junior outside hitter who had eight kills and eight digs in the final. “This was for him, only for him. I didn’t want to come (to the match) but I wanted to do it for him, to make him proud.”

Allan Czerwinski had only begun playing volleyball when he got to Jefferson, but he’d spent lots of time hitting with his father.

“I’m just so proud of my brother,” said Patrick Czerwinski, 21, who had planned to come to the final with their father. “I know my dad would be so proud.”

Road to the NJAC title

The fourth-seeded Falcons topped Sparta, then upset No. 1 Randolph, 25-23, 26-24 in a semifinal on Wednesday. Morristown (12-11), the second seed, beat Dover and defending champion Vernon en route to the final.

The Morristown girls had reached the Morris County Tournament final in the fall, but lost to Montville in three games. This was the Colonials’ boys first time playing for the NJAC title, after reaching the semifinal in their first two varsity seasons.  

“It’s bittersweet,” said Kathy Hormaza, a Morristown alumna who coaches both teams. “It’s exciting to know both programs have been able to come here. It hurts times two. If it didn’t hurt before, it hurts now.”

There were 180 boys and 323 girls volleyball teams in New Jersey in 2023-24, according to National Federation of State High School Associations data. That would place the state’s boys sixth, behind California (1142), Illinois (255), Pennsylvania (252), Florida (246) and New York (245).

New Jersey’s boys volleyball participation has almost tripled since 2002-03, and mushroomed to 229 teams this spring – eight in the NJAC.

The NJAC, which began sponsoring volleyball in 2018, is the ninth conference or county with a boys volleyball tournament, joining the Greater Middlesex Conference and Passaic and Hudson counties. Dover athletic director Sean Bullock originally pitched the tournament to his NJAC colleagues after the 2019 season. It was unanimously approved, but they had to wait out the COVID pandemic to launch it.

The NJSIAA has sanctioned a girls volleyball tournament since 1981, and boys since 1988 – the same year Vernon’s team was born. The boys volleyball tournament will be seeded on May 27, with championships slated for June 11 and 12.

“We weren’t just playing for the title,” Jefferson setter Jack Schild, who had 26 assists, a kill and six digs. “We were playing for something bigger than ourselves. It meant the world to us.”



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Three former Cougars join the 2025 U.S. Men’s VNL Roster and Staff – BYU Athletics – Official Athletics Website

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Gabi Garcia Fernandez was named to the 2025 U.S. Men’s VNL roster, with former BYU coaches and players Luka Slabe and Chris McGown added to its staff. Fernandez is one of 32 players competing on the roster, being listed as one of six opposites as well. Luka Slabe (BYU assistant coach […]

Published

on


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Gabi Garcia Fernandez was named to the 2025 U.S. Men’s VNL roster, with former BYU coaches and players Luka Slabe and Chris McGown added to its staff.

Fernandez is one of 32 players competing on the roster, being listed as one of six opposites as well. Luka Slabe (BYU assistant coach 2016-18, player 2000-04) was named assistant coach and Chris McGown (BYU head coach 2012-15, player 1990-94) was named a consultant coach.

The U.S. Men’s National Team, under newly appointed head coach Karch Kiraly, will select 14 athletes from the long list to compete at each stop: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (June 11-15), Hoffman Estates, Illinois (June 25-29), and Chiba, Japan (July 16-20). The VNL Final Round will take place July 30-Aug. 3 in Ningbo, China.

View the full VNL roster and the team’s schedule at the USA Volleyball website.



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Women’s Cadet National Team Roster Announced for 2025 PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships

Story Links Irvine, CA – May 14 – The roster for the Women’s Cadet National Team has been announced for the 2025 PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships in Medellin, Colombia. The competition will take place from May 19-25 and will showcase some of the top pipeline athletes in the country. Live streaming of all matches will […]

Published

on


Irvine, CA – May 14 – The roster for the Women’s Cadet National Team has been announced for the 2025 PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships in Medellin, Colombia. The competition will take place from May 19-25 and will showcase some of the top pipeline athletes in the country.

Live streaming of all matches will be available on the PanAm Sports YouTube channel. More information can be found from PanAm Aquatics. See below for roster and schedule.

Women’s Cadet National Team

1 (C) – Shelby Killingsworth, Goalkeeper, 680 Water Polo, Pacific Zone

2 – Jade Pattison, Center Defender, Santa Barbara 805, Coastal California Zone

3 – Kiernan Hogan, Center Defender, Stanford Water Polo Foundation, Pacific Zone

4 – Kennedy Fahey, Center Defender, Newport Beach Water Polo, Southern Pacific Zone

5 – Addison Ting, Attacker, Newport Beach Water Polo, Southern Pacific Zone

6 – Campbell Pence, Attacker, Newport Beach Water Polo, Southern Pacific Zone

7 – Madison Mack, Attacker, Newport Beach Water Polo, Southern Pacific Zone

8 – Gia Jacob, Attacker, Odin Water Polo Club, Pacific Southwest Zone

9 – Juliana Horton, Attacker, Santa Barbara 805, Coastal California Zone

10 – Emilia Haast, Attacker, Lamorinda Water Polo, Pacific Zone

11 – Eden Coughran, Attacker, Clovis Water Polo Club, Central California Zone

12 – Paige Segesman, Center, Regency Water Polo Club, Southern Pacific Zone

13 – Gianna Adams, Goalkeeper, San Diego Shores Water Polo Club, Pacific Southwest Zone

14 – Teodora Diaconu, Center, Greenwich Aquatics, Northeast Zone

15 – Caroline Daniel, Center, Newport Beach Water Polo, Southern Pacific Zone

Women’s Cadet National Team Staff

Head Coach: Brenda Villa

Asst. Coach/Team Lead: Alyssa Diacono

Asst Coach: Christopher Vidale

Asst. Coach: Gina Castagnola

ATC: Meghann McCall

Medical: Dr. Ken Lin

Women’s Cadet National Team Schedule

May 19 – USA vs. Brazil at 9:40am pt

May 20 – USA vs. Mexico at 1:00pm pt

May 21 – USA vs. Peru at 6:00am pt

May 23 – USA vs. Argentina at 7:00am pt

May 24 – USA vs. Colombia at 10:00am pt

May 25 – TBD

 



Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending