A Mysterious Toddler Easily Slipped Through The White House Fence

A small intruder managed to slip through the upgraded metal fencing surrounding the White House and wander onto the grounds. While he was quickly apprehended by the Secret Service, the reason for his invasion remains unknown. What was he looking for? What was his end goal? It’s a mystery that may never be solved. Because the intruder was a toddler and he’s not talking.

Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, told reporters on Tuesday that a toddler managed to squeeze through the high-security metal fencing on the north side of the White House and enter the grounds. The U.S. Secret Service refused to be outwitted by a shoeless toddler, whose identity has not been shared, and quickly apprehended him.

“The Secret Service Uniformed Division today encountered a curious young visitor along the White House north fence line who briefly entered White House ground,” Gugliemli said, according to the Associated Press. “The White House security systems instantly triggered Secret Service officers and the toddler and parents were quickly reunited.”

His parents, who were on Pennsylvania Avenue (presumably red-faced), were reunited with him after being questioned by the Secret Services. No comment from them on how their toddler slipped through the fence or what he wanted in the first place. I bet he heard about President Biden’s love of ice cream and thought he’d investigate for himself.

Shockingly, this is not the first time a toddler has decided to go rogue and infiltrate the White House grounds. In 2014, during President Obama’s administration, a toddler squeezed through the fence just as the president was about to give a speech about Iraq. No word on whether the toddler was protesting, but we do know the invasion prompted a temporary lockdown and a delay in Obama’s speech. “We were going to wait until he learned to talk to question him, but in lieu of that, he got a timeout and was sent on way with parents,” then Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said at the time, per CNN. It feels noteworthy that Biden was in the White House for both toddler break-ins. Perhaps he needs to stop sharing his adoration of ice cream, word clearly gets around.

This toddler did manage to get through a fence that was nearly doubled in height due to security breaches over the last few years, which I guess could be considered something of a bragging right. He will also have the world’s best answer to the question, “Tell me something interesting about you?” on every first date in his future. So that’s something.