Toddler invades White House grounds by slipping through fence: ‘Curious young visitor’

A toddler briefly entered the White House grounds on Tuesday, squeezing through the metal fencing on the executive mansion’s north side.

“The Secret Service Uniformed Division today encountered a curious young visitor along the White House north fence line who briefly entered White House grounds,” Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Gugliemli said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

“The White House security systems instantly triggered Secret Service officers and the toddler and parents were quickly reunited,” he said. 

Access to the 18-acre Washington, D.C., complex was briefly restricted while the officers facilitated the reunification on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to The Associated Press.

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Officers briefly questioned the parents before allowing the family to continue on their way.

This is not the first time children have slipped through the fence. 

Tiny intruders were reported in April 2015 and in August of 2014 and older children have sometimes become stuck there.

Notably, this comes after the Secret Service and National Park Service have worked since 2019 to double the height of the fence to around 13 feet after previous security breaches. 

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While taller, the new fence has an additional inch of space between its pickets, for a total of 5½ inches between posts.

“The two agencies have been working hand-in-hand since 2014 to develop an appropriate barrier that will keep the White House and grounds as accessible as possible to the public while ensuring the security of the White House and its occupants,” the Park Service said online. 

While the construction of the northern, southern and eastern sections of the White House fence have been completed, construction on the west section of the fence is expected to be finished this year.

 

“The new fence incorporates anti-climb and intrusion detection technology and is designed to mitigate current and future security threats,” the agency noted.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.