Pennsylvania man arrested for threatening 20 Democratic state legislators

Pennsylvania man arrested for posting online "hit list" and death threats against 20 Democratic state lawmakers, but targeted officials learned of threats only days later.

Objective Facts

A Lebanon County man was arrested and charged last week after making "politically violent" social media threats—including an alleged "hit list"—against 20 Democratic state lawmakers, mostly from the Philadelphia area. Adam Berryhill, 42, of Lebanon, was arrested May 6 after authorities were notified of the online threats and was charged the following day in Lebanon County Magisterial District Court with one count of making a terroristic threat. In one post, Berryhill is accused of writing, "Look how full my hands are. Who are these people? They don't represent Pennsylvania. They are communist infiltrators. I'll have write up an operation for each one and file Mandamus with the Commonwealth Court. I'll approach every legal avenue and when they all fail I start shootings." Though Berryhill was arrested nearly a week ago, some of the Democratic lawmakers said they had not been made aware that their names appeared on the so-called hit list until police posted it online Tuesday. Several lawmakers told Spotlight PA that they weren't informed of the threats or the arrest until this week, even though law enforcement became aware of Berryhill last month, with the apparent breakdown in communication angering some legislators. Governor Josh Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania State Police will adopt a new process for alerting lawmakers "directly of any threats of violence against them" and that state police will institute a policy requiring investigators to notify members of the General Assembly "immediately and directly" of any threats.

Left-Leaning Perspective

Several of the targeted Democratic lawmakers said threats of political violence have become commonplace. Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who serves as a vice chair in the national Democratic Party, said in a statement it was "sadly not the first time I've endured threats of political violence," adding "Threats, intimidation, and violence have no place in our politics." Rep. Chris Rabb said political violence against elected officials is "meant to silence people like me," emphasizing that "Threats don't change the work—they confirm why it matters." State Sen. Lindsey Williams stated: "I want something to change and I want it to change now, because I don't want someone to get seriously injured or killed before we make a real change about how we deal with threats against legislators." Spotlight PA characterized the apparent breakdown in communication as occurring "at a time of rising political violence and high-profile attempts to harm elected officials." Spotlight PA and other outlets emphasized that the lack of notification to threatened lawmakers angered some legislators as this occurs amid rising political violence.

Right-Leaning Perspective

Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward and Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman condemned the alleged hit list, saying it is "past time to set aside the extremism of a mindset of violence against those who serve the rule of law." Ward and Pittman acknowledged delays in communicating threats and stated they are reviewing the communications processes between state police and the sergeants-at-arms. Republican Leader Jesse Topper joined Democratic leadership in a joint statement condemning threats and pledging to support mental health care, intervention, and law enforcement funding. Republican outlets noted that court records show Berryhill also criticized Republicans, saying they need to stop whining and claiming "the only solution is war". The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that state records show Berryhill is a registered Republican in Lebanon County.

Deep Dive

The core angle of this story is not the arrest itself, but the critical breakdown in the notification process—Democratic legislators remained unaware they were targeted on a hit list for up to two weeks after law enforcement identified credible threats. According to the police complaint, a state trooper assigned to protect McClinton learned of the threats on April 28; Berryhill was arrested on May 6. State police in Lebanon County said they were notified of credible threats on May 1. Sen. Lindsey Williams said "So for two weeks, I was on a hit list where no one told me about it." Williams also pointed out that on May 5—one day before Berryhill's arrest—nearly every senator on his alleged hit list attended a public event in Philadelphia celebrating the country's 250th anniversary. "We were all standing in a public park with no idea about this threat," she said. This represents a genuine systemic failure with serious security implications. Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Logan Brouse initially said the legislature's sergeant at arms is responsible for notifying lawmakers, but could not immediately say when or whether State Police had informed the sergeant of arms. In a later statement, State Police said they "acted swiftly to flag the threat for prosecutors" and "at the time of the threat, PSP notified the law enforcement agencies responsible for the security of the elected officials involved." This discrepancy between State Police claims about notification and lawmakers' testimony of receiving no notice is the central unresolved tension. The response has been administrative: state police will institute a policy requiring investigators to notify members of the General Assembly "immediately and directly" of any threats, but the underlying question of why the initial system failed remains partially unanswered.

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Pennsylvania man arrested for threatening 20 Democratic state legislators

Pennsylvania man arrested for posting online "hit list" and death threats against 20 Democratic state lawmakers, but targeted officials learned of threats only days later.

May 13, 2026· Updated May 14, 2026
What's Going On

A Lebanon County man was arrested and charged last week after making "politically violent" social media threats—including an alleged "hit list"—against 20 Democratic state lawmakers, mostly from the Philadelphia area. Adam Berryhill, 42, of Lebanon, was arrested May 6 after authorities were notified of the online threats and was charged the following day in Lebanon County Magisterial District Court with one count of making a terroristic threat. In one post, Berryhill is accused of writing, "Look how full my hands are. Who are these people? They don't represent Pennsylvania. They are communist infiltrators. I'll have write up an operation for each one and file Mandamus with the Commonwealth Court. I'll approach every legal avenue and when they all fail I start shootings." Though Berryhill was arrested nearly a week ago, some of the Democratic lawmakers said they had not been made aware that their names appeared on the so-called hit list until police posted it online Tuesday. Several lawmakers told Spotlight PA that they weren't informed of the threats or the arrest until this week, even though law enforcement became aware of Berryhill last month, with the apparent breakdown in communication angering some legislators. Governor Josh Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania State Police will adopt a new process for alerting lawmakers "directly of any threats of violence against them" and that state police will institute a policy requiring investigators to notify members of the General Assembly "immediately and directly" of any threats.

Left says: Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Shapiro emphasized that the apparent breakdown in communication about credible threats to their safety represents a critical failure that occurs amid rising political violence. They argue that threats, intimidation, and violence have no place in politics across the spectrum.
Right says: Republican leaders joined Democrats in condemning "the escalation of political violence" and pledging to support mental health care, intervention, and law enforcement funding while also raising concerns about the notification failures.
✓ Common Ground
House Speaker Joanna McClinton, Majority Leader Matt Bradford, Republican Leader Jesse Topper and Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa released a joint statement condemning threats of political violence.
Multiple lawmakers across the aisle agreed that threats are "a symptom of a greater sickness in our democracy" with "the escalation of political violence" reaching "an astounding level" affecting officials from school boards to the presidency, and that "as Pennsylvanians we can't and won't allow political violence to become commonplace".
Both Republican and Democratic leadership acknowledged that communication processes between state police and legislative security need improvement and review.
Objective Deep Dive

The core angle of this story is not the arrest itself, but the critical breakdown in the notification process—Democratic legislators remained unaware they were targeted on a hit list for up to two weeks after law enforcement identified credible threats. According to the police complaint, a state trooper assigned to protect McClinton learned of the threats on April 28; Berryhill was arrested on May 6. State police in Lebanon County said they were notified of credible threats on May 1. Sen. Lindsey Williams said "So for two weeks, I was on a hit list where no one told me about it." Williams also pointed out that on May 5—one day before Berryhill's arrest—nearly every senator on his alleged hit list attended a public event in Philadelphia celebrating the country's 250th anniversary. "We were all standing in a public park with no idea about this threat," she said. This represents a genuine systemic failure with serious security implications. Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Logan Brouse initially said the legislature's sergeant at arms is responsible for notifying lawmakers, but could not immediately say when or whether State Police had informed the sergeant of arms. In a later statement, State Police said they "acted swiftly to flag the threat for prosecutors" and "at the time of the threat, PSP notified the law enforcement agencies responsible for the security of the elected officials involved." This discrepancy between State Police claims about notification and lawmakers' testimony of receiving no notice is the central unresolved tension. The response has been administrative: state police will institute a policy requiring investigators to notify members of the General Assembly "immediately and directly" of any threats, but the underlying question of why the initial system failed remains partially unanswered.

◈ Tone Comparison

Democratic outlets and lawmakers used urgent, accusatory language about systemic failure, while Republican leaders used more measured, procedural language focused on review and improvement. Democrats called the notification failure "egregious" with "utter disregard," while Republicans discussed setting aside extremism and reviewing processes.