Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to flee in the middle of the night during Passover after an alleged arsonist set fire to their residence, authorities said. 

Mr Shapiro, a Democrat seen as a potential candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028, said he and his family woke up at about 2am on Sunday to “bangs on the door” by police after a fire was allegedly set at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg.

Mr Shapiro said he, his wife, their four children, two dogs and another family were evacuated as the fire service tackled the flames.

“Thank God no one was injured,” he said in a post on X.

A 38-year-old man identified as Cody Balmer, from Harrisburg, was arrested later in the day.

He will face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities said.

“Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities,” Mr Shapiro said on X.

“Last night, they did so for our family – and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe.”

The suspect’s motive is still unknown.

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According to Pennsylvania police officials, he slipped over a fence around the property carrying homemade incendiary devices and evaded state troopers long enough to enter the residence, set it on fire and leave.

On Saturday, Mr Shapiro posted a picture of his family’s “seder” table as they celebrated the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

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The brother of a woman killed alongside her family in a helicopter crash in the Hudson River has said they died “without suffering”, and thrown flowers into the water in their memory.

Joan Camprubi’s sister, Merce Camprubi Montal, 39, died alongside her husband Agustin Escobar, 49, and their three children after the aircraft broke apart and plunged into the water in New York City on Thursday.

The helicopter’s pilot, Sean Johnson, was also killed.

Mr Camprubi said the family, from Barcelona, Spain, “left together” and “without suffering” following the sightseeing flight over the city. “As a family, we want to [remember] and honour their happiness and their smile forever,” he added.

One of their children, Mercedes, was due to celebrate her ninth birthday on Friday, the day after the crash. The other children were Victor, who was four, and 10-year-old Agustin.

Mr Camprubi told reporters on Saturday: “We will never forget you. And we will keep your smile alive every day of our lives. And that, I think, is the greatest legacy that we can give.”

New York Mayor Eric Adams joined Mr Camprubi to throw flowers and lamented that “what should have been a joyful vacation turned into an unimaginable tragedy”.

He also paid tribute to Mr Johnson, a former US Navy Seal, but said “no words can fill the void, the loss” that bereaved relatives are enduring.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators have not yet determined the cause of the crash.

There were reports of a loud boom when the aircraft, a Bell 206, broke apart, and officials previously said they were looking into reports of a large flock of birds being seen beforehand.

As divers continued to pull pieces of the wreckage from the Hudson on Saturday, NTSB officials said they were checking the flight control system. The helicopter was not equipped with any black box flight recorders.

Its main rotor, main gear box, tail rotor, and a large portion of the tail boom are still missing, the NTSB said.

Witnesses, including Aleesha Alam, described seeing the main rotor blade flying off moments before it dropped out of the sky.

The main fuselage, including the cockpit and cabin, the forward portion of the tail boom, the horizontal stabiliser finlets, and the vertical fin have been recovered.

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The helicopter had last been inspected on 1 March and completed seven tour flights earlier on Thursday.

The accident took place during the aircraft’s eighth flight of the day, according to the NTSB.

It comes less than three months after 67 people died when an army helicopter and American Airlines jet collided over the Potomac River in Washington DC.