White House Lockdown Today: Secret Service Secures North Lawn After Fence Breach | WATCH | US News

The Secret Service briefly placed the White House’s front lawn on lockdown on Tuesday following a security incident near the front gate. According to news reports, an unidentified object was thrown over the fence onto the North Lawn. In response, the Secret Service swiftly initiated a lockdown of both the White House and the adjacent park area, also closing off Pennsylvania Avenue as a precaution.

The agency swiftly locked down the White House grounds and adjacent Lafayette Park, closing off Pennsylvania Avenue as a precaution. Around 11:30 AM ET, members of the press who had been gathered outside were ushered into the James S. Brady Briefing Room without explanation. Roughly 30 minutes later, the Secret Service issued an all-clear, and reporters were permitted to return to the North Lawn. At 11:56 AM, the lockdown was officially lifted.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to Al Jazeera News that “somebody threw their phone over the fence.” No injuries or threats were reported, and the individual involved has not yet been identified.

The lockdown occurred about an hour before President Trump departed the White House for an event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who had been giving a live interview outside at the time, was also rushed inside due to the security alert.

This marks the latest in a string of security-related incidents involving the Secret Service. In a separate incident earlier this year, an agent intercepted a young boy who had breached the White House perimeter and returned him safely to his parents.