A toddler seemingly wanted to get up close and personal with the White House, leaving the Secret Service scrambling.
On Tuesday, an unidentified toddler was able to squeeze his tiny body through the 13-foot tall fence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The posts are only about 5½ inches wide. President Joe Biden was reportedly inside, but the young boy did not make it that far. After breaching the executive mansion’s north side, agents quickly nabbed the child.
The Secret Service chief of communications, Anthony Gugliemli, released a statement after the ordeal, calling the boy a “curious young visitor.”
“The White House security systems instantly triggered Secret Service officers, and the toddler and parents were quickly reunited,” Gugliemli confirmed.
Access to the White House was briefly halted as agents reunited the boy with his parents. Secret Service members questioned them. However, no action was taken against the parents, and they were allowed to move along. While the toddler may be the first to get through the newer gates, other little ones have successfully slipped through them in previous years. In 2019, the White House, with help from the National Park Service, installed the updated fence’s height and added more space between posts. This was an attempt to keep unwanted visitors away. The gate guarding the northern, southern, and eastern sections of the White House has been upgraded. The agencies should complete the west section of the fence this year.
The child was not harmed during the breach.
