A tiny trespasser made it through the White House fence on Tuesday. The Secret Service captured a toddler on the north side of the secured property while President Joe Biden was inside, reported the New York Post. In recent years, new 13-foot-tall fences have been installed to prevent intruders, but that wasn't enough to keep the tot out.
While the new fences are taller, there is an additional inch of space between posts that left 5 ½ inches of room for the toddler to squeeze through, the news outlet reported.
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The toddler may be the first person to breach the new fence.
The Secret Service officers walked across the north lawn to retrieve the toddler and return him to his parents. Access to the property was briefly restricted while officers handled the incident, per NPR. The family was questioned before being allowed to leave, the news outlet reported.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, “The White House security systems instantly triggered Secret Service officers and the toddler and parents were quickly reunited," according to The Guardian. The toddler may be the first intruder since the new fence was installed.
The White House is supposed to be one of the most secure buildings in the country.
Construction on the new fence began in July 2019, and has been overseen by the National Parks Service and United States Secret Service. The new fence design covering the 18-acre White House complex used over 3,500 feet of steel fencing, with all but the western fence completed in 2022. The western fence is scheduled to be completed in 2023, according to the National Park Service.
The new fence reportedly has “intrusion detection technology” for addressing security concerns, according to the update posted on the NPS website.
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The White House has had several breaches in recent years.
The new fencing design came into effect after the White House has been breached on several occasions. Recent concerning events include the insurrection that took place at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Another notable incident occurred in 2017, when a man, who was carrying mace made it over the former 5-foot-tall fence and was on the White House grounds for a total of 16 minutes before he was apprehended, per The Guardian.
Readers were highly entertained by news of the toddler’s stunt.
Commenters on the New York Post article thought this toddler’s ability to sneak through a highly secured area was hilarious, while others criticized the parents.
One reader commented: “Ha ha. This kid is already a legend.”
“The way they were holding the child … hilarious!” another wrote.
Someone else pointed out the question on everyone’s mind, but as any parent knows, toddlers can be crafty and cunning when it concerns getting into places that they shouldn’t be in.
“And what were the parents doing while this kid was 'breaking in?'" one person wondered. "Was he just wandering around by himself?” We have to assume the person has never tried to keep track of a toddler.
