Pittsburgh-area leaders condemn arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro's residence on first night of Passover
Politicians across western Pennsylvania are condemning the arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence while offering Shapiro and his family messages of support.
An arsonist set fire to the home on the first night of Passover, which Shapiro and his family celebrated with other members of the Jewish community in the same room that was set ablaze.
All of the politicians KDKA-TV spoke with on-camera were careful not to draw conclusions, as no motive was shared, and officials didn't say if it was a hate crime.
Initial thoughts were all similar.
"Is everybody safe? Is everyone okay," said Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor, who is running for mayor of Pittsburgh.
"I was stunned," said Rep. Dan Frankel (D).
"Butler happened with President Trump. Now, this is happening with Governor Shapiro," said Thomas West, who is also running for mayor. "There's no room for this."
"I think this was, in my mind, kind of been an extension of the political violence that is becoming maybe a little bit more common now," said County Councilman Dan Gryzbek, who explained for elected officials, receiving threats of violence is not atypical. "I myself have had threats on my life whenever I was a school board member."
"The rhetoric has gone way too far, and for somebody to set fire to the governor's house, you know, just takes it to a whole new level," O'Connor said. "For people to do something like this, especially, you know, myself and my wife having two young kids, yeah, it gives us a moment to think and what we should do differently around the house."
The act of political violence came with an additional layer that was hard to ignore. While no motive was shared, as Gov. Shapiro put it, the act of arson came with a "few truths," one of them being the timing of the attack on the first night of Passover.
"It's a sacred holiday that on the Jewish side of my family, we celebrate together every year," O'Connor said. "And for somebody to do something like that on a high holiday - I know it's not considered a hate crime at this point, but to happen on a Holy, holy day where you're celebrating with your family is also surprising."
Rep. Frankel, who co-chairs the Jewish Legislative Caucus, said the incident reverberated across the state's Jewish community.
"It certainly strikes our community that this was targeted against our governor, who happens to be Jewish and happens to be somebody who talks about his faith in a way that uplifts everybody else's faith," Rep. Frankel said.
He echoed what was said by other politicians.
"It's just got to stop. It's got to stop," Frankel said. "Whether it's acts of hatred that target our Jewish community or other vulnerable communities in Pennsylvania and our city, or it's about targeting elected officials because of what they stand for."
Shapiro also commented on it being Passover.
"If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me on this: we celebrated our faith last night proudly, and in a few hours, we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover again proudly, no one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly."
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey shared a written statement with KDKA-TV, which read in part: "Our hearts go out to Governor Josh Shapiro, First Lady Lori Shapiro, and their entire family during this difficult time," Gainey said. "We're incredibly grateful for the swift and heroic response of first responders, whose actions ensured the safety of everyone inside."
"My thoughts are with the Shapiro family as they grapple with this unacceptable and disgusting act of violence on the first night of Passover," State Sen. Jay Costa wrote on X. "I'm grateful to the first responders who showed up and made sure everyone was safe. Please contact them with any information you may have."
There's nothing more undemocratic than going after the physical safety of a public official and their family," City Controller Rachael Heisler wrote on X. "My thoughts are with the Shapiro family."
