A toddler is believed to be the first successful intruder across the new White House fence, installed in 2022, after it crawled through the barrier.
The toddler caused a stir as it squeezed through the metal fence outside of the White House in Washington, DC on Tuesday morning, April 18 prompting officers from the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division to walk across the executive mansion’s North Lawn to intercept the youngster.
Access to the public area of the complex was briefly restricted as the officers worked to return the toddler to his parents on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said officers “encountered a curious young visitor along the White House north fence line who briefly entered White House grounds”.
“The White House security systems instantly triggered Secret Service officers, and the toddler and parents were quickly reunited,” he said in a statement.
The National Park Service constructed a new fence in front of the White House in 2022, replacing the two-metre-tall (6.6-foot) fence with a nearly four-metre (13-foot) one.
The National Park Service said “the new fence incorporates anti-climb and intrusion detection technology and is designed to mitigate current and future security threats”.
Though the new fence is taller, it has an additional inch of space between pickets, for a total of 14cm (5.5 inches) between posts — just enough clearance for a pint-sized baby to slip through.