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In the early hours of the morning, while his family was safely inside, the residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was engulfed in flames during the Passover holiday.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported, “An arsonist set fire to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg last night as Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside, State Police said Sunday.”
In a post on X, Governor Shapiro recounted the harrowing event:
At approximately 2 AM, my family and I were jolted awake by knocks on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police, informing us of a fire set by an arsonist at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire responded promptly, and while they tackled the blaze, Pennsylvania State Police ensured our safe evacuation, with additional support from Capitol Police. We are grateful that no injuries occurred and the fire was successfully extinguished.
Every day, we stand with law enforcement and first responders who bravely confront danger to protect our communities. Last night, they safeguarded our family, and Lori and I are profoundly thankful for their service.
The PA State Police are leading the investigation and will keep the public informed.
Notably, Governor Shapiro is Jewish, raising immediate concerns about the nature of this incident. It appears to exemplify a potential hate crime targeting a Jewish family, which typically warrants a strong public response from a president and administration that profess to be vigilant against anti-Semitism and domestic terrorism. Yet, the silence from the White House has been conspicuous.
One can’t help but wonder if the administration’s reaction would be markedly different had the governor held a Republican affiliation or perhaps been a figure like Elon Musk.
