List of White House security breaches facts for kids

The White House is a very important building in the United States. It's where the President lives and works, and it's also a national landmark. Because it's so important, the White House needs a lot of protection. The main group in charge of keeping it safe is the United States Secret Service. Even with all the security, like fences and guards, some people have still managed to get inside or onto the grounds without permission. Many of these people were just trying to play a prank or were struggling with their thoughts, but some had more serious intentions.

Protecting the White House: A Look Back

For a long time, the White House was quite open to the public. In the early days, up until the late 1800s, people could walk through the hallways and lobbies! Imagine that – visitors and even people wanting to talk to the President would just wait inside.

During Abraham Lincoln's time, the building often got very crowded. People would even climb through windows to get in! Lincoln believed in talking to everyday people, but it became too much. So, the White House started having specific visiting hours, only twice a week. Lincoln even changed the building's layout so he could eat meals without walking through public areas.

The general "open-door" policy for the building ended around the 1880s, during Grover Cleveland's presidency. The White House grounds, which are the outdoor areas, stayed open until the 1920s, when Calvin Coolidge was President. After World War II, it became much harder for the public to access the grounds. Now, you can only take scheduled tours to limited parts of the building.

Barriers and Security Upgrades

Barriers to keep unwanted visitors out have been around since Thomas Jefferson was President in the early 1800s. He had a wooden fence built. Later, in 1819, an iron fence was put up, and parts of it are still there today!

In the mid-1990s, the fence was made bigger to move traffic further away from the White House. This was to protect it from car bombs. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the sky above the White House became a "restricted airspace," meaning no unauthorized planes can fly there. This rule is now much more strictly enforced.

Temporary barriers are also often put up for big events like presidential inaugurations. During the George Floyd protests and the 2020 United States elections, a new, taller temporary fence was installed. It was about 13 feet (4 meters) tall, which is twice as high as the old one, and had concrete blocks to stop vehicles.

White House Security Breaches

Even with all these security measures, there have been many times when people have gotten past the defenses.

Getting Inside the White House

Remember, the White House was mostly open to the public until the 1880s.

• August 24, 1814 – During the War of 1812, the British Army attacked and burned the White House, along with other buildings in Washington, D.C.. The White House had to be rebuilt, which took until 1817.
• 1891 – A man climbed onto a balcony and got into the Red Room. Guards, with help from President Benjamin Harrison, stopped him.
• Around 1901–1909 – A man wearing a top hat told security he had a meeting with President Theodore Roosevelt and was let into the Red Room. After talking for a few minutes, Roosevelt told the Secret Service to remove him. They found he was carrying a pistol.
• April 13, 1912 – Michael Winter was arrested after forcing his way into the White House to see President William Howard Taft.
• Around 1929–1933 – An older tourist from Iowa, carrying a briefcase, walked past security without being stopped. He explored several rooms before being confronted. His briefcase only contained tourist books and maps.
• Around 1929–1933 – During a dinner with President Herbert Hoover, a stranger walked in from the street and demanded to see the President. A butler pushed him away.
• Around 1940–1945 – A man snuck past security "for fun" and entered the White House while President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his family were watching a movie in the dark. After the movie, he got the President's autograph before being escorted out.
• January 20, 1985 – Robert Latta got into the White House by following members of the Marine Band past security. He wandered around the living area for 14 minutes with an overnight bag before Secret Service agents caught him.
• November 24, 2009 – Carlos Allen, Michaele Salahi, and Tareq Salahi arrived uninvited to a special dinner for the Indian Prime Minister. They managed to get inside.
• September 19, 2014 – Omar Gonzalez jumped the fence and entered through the front doors. He got past a Secret Service officer and ran through much of the main floor before being stopped by another agent.
• September 20, 2020 – Actress Maria Bakalova, playing her character Tutar for the movie Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, got into the White House by following a journalist. She attended a speech by President Donald Trump and spoke with Donald Trump Jr..

Getting Onto the Grounds

Note that the White House grounds were generally open to the public until the 1920s.

• February 17, 1974 – Robert K. Preston flew a stolen helicopter over the grounds and was forced to land. He ran towards the White House but was stopped before reaching it.
• December 25, 1974 – Marshall H. Fields crashed a car through the Northwest Gate. He drove up to the front of the White House and claimed to have explosives, which were later found to be flares.
• November 26, 1975 into 1976 – Gerald B. Gainous climbed the White House fence four times over a year. Once, he got onto the grounds and approached Susan Ford, the President's daughter, before being arrested.
• July 27, 1976 – Chester Plummer climbed the fence with a piece of pipe. He ignored orders to stop and was shot by a Secret Service officer. He later died, becoming the first known shooting victim on White House grounds.
• October 4, 1978 – Anthony Henry, dressed in a karate outfit, got onto the lawn with knives and was arrested.
• August 21, 1986 – Rosita Bourbon climbed the fence with a makeshift ladder and was quickly arrested.
• November 21, 1987 – Mike Davis, an unarmed man, climbed a fence and got close to the stairs leading to President Ronald Reagan's office before being arrested.
• September 12, 1994 – Frank Eugene Corder crashed a stolen small plane onto the South Lawn, seemingly trying to hit the building. He was the only person killed.
• May 24, 1995 – Leland William Modjeski, wearing a suit and carrying an unloaded revolver, was shot on the grounds after climbing the fence. Authorities believed he did not intend to harm the President and appeared to have mental health challenges.
• December 4, 2005 – Shawn A. Cox was immediately caught by Secret Service agents after climbing the fence. Cox believed Chelsea Clinton still lived there and that he was meant to marry her. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
• February–April 2006 – Brian Lee Patterson jumped the White House fence four times.
• October 13, 2006 – Alexis Janicki, an Iraq War veteran, was arrested after climbing over the fence.
• March 16, 2007 – Catalino Lucas Diaz climbed the fence with a package and threatened officers with a bomb. He was arrested after it was found he had no dangerous weapon.
• June 9, 2009 – Pamela Morgan jumped the fence with a backpack. She was arrested, and her backpack was found to contain nothing dangerous.
• March 30, 2014 – An unknown man was caught and arrested after climbing over the fence.
• August 7, 2014 – A toddler squeezed through the fence and was returned to his parents by an officer.
• September 11, 2014 – Jeffrey Grossman, 26, climbed the fence and entered the North Lawn wearing a Pikachu hat and carrying a Pikachu doll. He was caught by Secret Service agents. Grossman did not intend to cause harm and was taken to a hospital for mental health observation.
• October 22, 2014 – Dominic Adesanya jumped the fence onto the north lawn and was quickly stopped by two security dogs before being arrested. He had jumped the fence twice before and was later ordered to a mental health facility.
• November 26, 2015 – Joseph Anthony Caputo, 22, was arrested almost immediately after jumping over a fence while the first family was inside celebrating Thanksgiving. He was sentenced to probation.
• March 10, 2017 – Jonathan Tuan Tran, 26, was arrested after jumping the fence and getting very close to the mansion. He was carrying two cans of mace.
• October 17, 2017 – Curtis Combs, 36, jumped a concrete barrier on the outer edge of the south grounds and was quickly arrested.
• November 19, 2017 – Victor Merswin, 24, jumped a bike rack and was climbing the first security fence when he was caught and arrested.
• April 18, 2023 – A toddler squeezed through the fence onto the grounds and was carried back to his parents by a Secret Service Officer.

Flying Into Restricted Airspace

The sky above the White House is a "no-fly zone" to keep it safe.

• May 12, 2005 – A student pilot flying a small plane accidentally flew into the restricted airspace. This caused evacuations at the White House and the US Capitol. Fighter jets and a helicopter made the plane land at a nearby airport.
• August 25, 2009 – Another student pilot accidentally entered the restricted airspace and was escorted to a nearby airport.
• November 26, 2019 – The White House was put on lockdown for 30 minutes after a small aircraft entered the restricted airspace. Fighter jets were sent out, but it was later found that the aircraft was not a threat.
• 2023 Virginia plane crash – This incident involved a plane crash that raised concerns about airspace security.

Other Incidents Near the White House

These incidents happened near the White House but didn't involve someone getting inside or onto the grounds.

• February 22, 1974 – Samuel Byck planned to hijack a plane and crash it into the White House to try and harm the President.
• December 1, 1976 – Steven B. Williams tried to crash his truck through the reinforced steel gates but was arrested.
• March 3, 1984 – David Mahonski, who had been warned to stay away, was seen near the White House. When security agents approached him, he pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, and an agent shot him in the arm. He was arrested.
• March 15, 1985 – Chester Ramsey was caught and arrested while trying to climb over the fence.
• October 29, 1994 – Francisco Martin Duran fired 29 shots at the White House with a semi-automatic rifle before being tackled and arrested.
• February 8, 2001 – Robert W. Pickett fired shots outside the White House fence and was wounded and arrested by Secret Service agents.
• November 11, 2011 – Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez was arrested after bullets were fired near the White House. At least two bullets hit the building, with one stopped by bullet-proof glass. It was unclear if the White House was the target.
• June 9, 2013 – Joseph Clifford Reel caused a driverless Jeep to crash into the gate as a distraction so he could spray paint the side of the White House. He was arrested and sentenced to prison.
• March 2, 2015 – An unknown man in a construction suit tried to enter the White House grounds through a gate and was stopped and taken into custody.
• May 20, 2016 – The 2016 White House shooting happened when Jesse Olivieri attacked a security checkpoint. The Secret Service shot and arrested him. The White House was closed for a short time.
• March 18, 2017 – An unknown man jumped over a bicycle rack on Pennsylvania Avenue and was arrested.
• July 2017 – The U.S. Secret Service arrested Travis Reinking for being in a "restricted area" near the White House. He reportedly wanted to meet the President.
• August 10, 2020 – Myron Berryman, 51, was shot by a Secret Service officer near the White House after telling the officer he was armed and running towards him. The suspect, who was unarmed, was arrested. The President was briefly escorted from a press briefing during the incident.
• May 22, 2023 – Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, allegedly drove a U-Haul truck into a security fence. Investigators said he wanted to harm the President. A Nazi flag was found in the van.

See also

• Timeline of Washington, D.C.

Images for kids

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  President Barack Obama greeting the Salahis in the Blue Room of the White House in November 2009. Their group had turned up uninvited and bypassed security to enter a state dinner.