Man arrested after attempted White House fence climb sparks rapid Secret Service takedown with Donald Trump inside
A man’s reported attempt to climb the perimeter fence of the White House was stopped on Thursday, resulting in his arrest by a member of the Secret Service.
President Donald Trump was understood to be inside the building at the time of the attempt. It was also reported that the suspect, who has not been identified, attempted to make a dash for the entrance gate after his climbing attempt failed.
Secret Service personnel managed to apprehend the man almost instantly and tackled him to the ground before he gained entrance to the complex. One local witness told The Daily Mail that the activity prompted a flurry of activity around the White House.
The outlet reported that one person is in custody and that another person sustained minor injuries. The White House confirmed the intrusion, but referred all other questions to the Secret Service.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department have since cleared the area; however, a strong security presence still remains. It came mere minutes before Trump was scheduled to make his way to Las Vegas to participate in a roundtable discussion about Tax Day.
The incident joins the long list of other attempted White House break-ins.
Last October, it was reported that the White House was put on lockdown after a man drove into the barricades surrounding the estate. The incident occurred around 10:30 pm. with no reports of injuries.
Police later confirmed that the driver had been arrested and that the vehicle was being assessed, but provided no further details, including the driver’s name, age, or place of origin.
The White House was also placed on lockdown in July 2025 after someone threw a cellphone over the fence and onto the property. Members of the press who were on the campus at the time were ushered into the James S. Brady briefing room while a Secret Service agent was dispatched to investigate.
According to the Office of Communications, the phone was hurled over the fence on the North Lawn. "Somebody threw their phone over the fence," Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Al Jazeera News.
The White House later lifted the lockdown and reporters were free to resume their work on the North Lawn. Just before going into lockdown, members of the press pool waited outside to speak with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who was speaking with Fox News at the time.
At the time, no official statement was given about the phone, but members of the pool were then assembled in the Palm Room before the president departed for an event in Pennsylvania.
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