A toddler was nabbed by the US Secret Service after briefly entering the White House grounds and setting off alarms.
A toddler, who briefly infiltrated the White House- the official residence of the president of the United States- on Tuesday, was escorted back by the Secret Service, setting off security alerts.
According to the chief of communications for the Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi, a toddler crawled through the fence on the north side of the White House, CNN reported.
“The Secret Service Uniformed Division today encountered a curious young visitor along the White House north fence line who briefly entered White House ground,” Gugliemli said. “The White House security systems instantly triggered Secret Service officers and the toddler and parents were quickly reunited.”
US Secret Service Uniformed Division officers walked across the North Lawn to retrieve the child and reunite him with his parents on Pennsylvania Avenue, reported AP. Access to the complex was briefly restricted while officers conducted the reunification. The parents were briefly questioned before allowing them to continue on their way.
It may also be the first successful intrusion onto the complex since the White House fence was doubled in height to roughly 13 feet (3.96-meters) in recent years after a series of security breaches. While taller, the new fence has an additional inch of space between pickets, for a total of 5½ inches (12.7 centimeters) between posts.
A similar incident was reported in 2014 when a toddler squeezed through the White House fence just before then-President Barack Obama was about to address the nation on Iraq. The incident had prompted a temporary lockdown and delayed the briefing, reported 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 way with parents,” Edwin Donovan, then a spokesman for the United States Secret Service, said.
