Secret Service agents subdued a man Monday afternoon after he climbed the White House’s South Grounds fence, with dramatic footage capturing the failed breach attempt.
“Bro!” witnesses gasped as the man, dressed entirely in black, scaled up the 13-foot wrought iron barrier around 4:20 p.m.
Oklahoma tourist David Stanley, who filmed the incident, reported the climber shouted “F–k it” before charging the fence.
“I could see rooftop snipers scurrying around as officers zeroed in on the man,” Stanley told Fox 5. K-9 units rushed the lawn as Secret Service agents approached from inside the grounds.
The climber reached the anti-climb spikes at the fence’s peak before appearing to reconsider, descending only to be swarmed by agents. Secret Service took him into custody, with his identity and potential charges yet to be announced.
Take a look —
Secret Service swarm black-clad man who tried climbing over White House fence after saying, ‘F–k it’ https://t.co/z3jyWXY2lv pic.twitter.com/icHhqXZPop
— New York Post (@nypost) February 5, 2025
“The White House complex is secured by a combination of uniformed officers, special agents, mission support personnel, and advanced protective systems that ensure continuous vigilance across its 18 acres,” a Secret Service spokesman told MailOnline. “In line with standard Secret Service protocol, this incident – including security measures and response – will undergo a protective operations review by the agency.”
The current fence was installed during Trump’s first term after multiple security breaches under the Obama administration, including a 2014 incident where a knife-wielding Texas man entered the White House.
Officials added metal bike racks as a secondary barrier and installed sharp anti-climb features in 2015.
President Trump was at the White House Monday for executive order signings, though his location during the attempted breach attempt remains unclear. The Secret Service has initiated a protective operations review of the incident, following standard protocol.
Federal prosecutors typically pursue criminal charges in White House fence-jumping cases. Security officials expect to complete their incident review by week’s end.