Secret Service responds after White House fence is breached by toddler

Secret Service apprehend a toddler at the White House.
(Image credit: Nancy Benac/AP Photo)

The U.S. Secret Service sprung into action on Tuesday to stop a pint-sized intruder at the White House: a toddler that had wriggled his way through the executive mansion's fence.

Officers with the Secret Service's Uniformed Division, who are responsible for protecting the White House, "encountered a curious young visitor along the White House north fence line who briefly entered White House grounds," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said. "The White House security systems instantly triggered Secret Service officers and the toddler and parents were quickly reunited."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In recent years, security concerns have caused the Secret Service to double the height of the fence around the White House, with AP noting the barrier now stands 13 feet tall. However, this taller fence also has an additional inch of space between its pickets, which may have allowed the toddler the room to squeeze through.

This may have been the first successful intrusion of the White House grounds since the fence was heightened, but this is not the first time a toddler has made their way into the complex. In 2014, a toddler forced the White House into a lockdown after squeezing through the fence, with the Secret Service telling CNN, "We were going to wait until he learned to talk to question him, but in lieu of that he got a timeout and was sent on the way."

Some intruders have had more sinister intentions, though. That same year, a man with a knife jumped the fence and made it all the way into the East Room of the White House before being stopped.

Explore More
Justin Klawans, The Week US

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.