Secret Service Arrest Man Who Scaled Fence Near White House
Secret Service agents on Monday afternoon apprehended a man who climbed over the Treasury Department fence near the White House.
The individual, described as wearing a blazer and sunglasses, was taken into custody after agents ran across the compound to intercept him.
He was later transported to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District, where he was processed on a charge of unlawful entry, authorities said.
“On Monday, September 29 at approximately 4:55 p.m., an individual scaled the fence on the southeast side of the U.S. Treasury Building and was arrested by U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division officers for unlawful entry,” the agency said in a statement to RealClearPolitic’s Susan Crabtree.
“He was subsequently transported to Metropolitan Police Department’s 2nd District for processing. There was no impact to our protective operations,” the statement continued.
🚨🚨#BREAKING: MAN MANAGES TO SCALE TREASURY BUILDING FENCE NEAR WHITE HOUSE — SECRET SERVICE ARRESTS HIM.
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) September 29, 2025
The Secret Service Uniformed Division nabbed a man who successfully scaled the U.S. Treasury building fence near the White House.
(YEARS AGO, DURING THE OBAMA… pic.twitter.com/6yTpBYS3BE
The incident occurred the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was at the White House. Earlier Monday, a Secret Service SUV parked outside the complex caught fire ahead of the visit.
Just the News reported the vehicle’s back seat caught fire, but it’s not clear what caused it.
Breaking: Secret Service vehicle catches fire outside White House ahead of Netanyahu meeting https://t.co/6HUAfUXpsm
— Just the News (@JustTheNews) September 29, 2025
Photos from the site show fire department personnel arriving to put out the flames, which was contained inside the car as smoke poured out of the front passenger door. The fire was extinguished shortly before 11 a.m. local time, according to reports.
The incidents occurred one day after a gunman opened fire inside a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan, killing at least four people and injuring eight others, including children, before setting the building ablaze.
Officials confirmed that the gunman had fatally shot two of the victims and discovered two others inside the burned structure.
Investigators issued a warning, predicting an increase in the death toll due to the unaccounted-for status of several individuals and the possibility of finding additional victims among the rubble.
The fire reduced the church to its foundation, complicating recovery efforts. Emergency crews suspended the search late Sunday night and are expected to resume clearing debris early Monday morning.
Officials said they do not yet know how many parishioners remain unaccounted for. A source familiar with the investigation told CNN the number could be as high as seven, though that estimate may include survivors who have not yet been able to contact their families.
FBI Director Kash Patel noted he was monitoring the situation and had been briefed on the attack.
Hundreds of worshippers had gathered inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township when gunfire erupted. Moments later, images captured the building engulfed in flames, its frame swallowed by thick smoke and fire.
“We do believe there were people up there that were near that fire, and they were unable to get out of the church. So we do believe that we will have additional victims once we’re able to search that,” Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told reporters.
Police said the gunman, identified as 40-year-old Tomas Jacob Sanford, drove his pickup truck through the church’s front doors around 10:25 a.m. before opening fire with an assault-style rifle. The vehicle had two large American flags in its bed and deer antlers mounted on the front bumper.
Sanford was killed in an exchange of gunfire with a Grand Blanc Township police officer and a Michigan Department of Natural Resources officer who arrived on the scene within seconds of the first 911 calls.
