If you’ve parented a toddler, then nothing about the following story will surprise you—but it sure will entertain you. A tiny toddler at the White House was able to squeeze through a secure fence and briefly slip past security earlier this week, prompting Secret Service to respond to the “intrusion.”
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Gugliemli said in a statement to the Associated Press that 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,” Gugliemli said.
Access to the outside perimeter of the White House available to the public was momentarily regulated as officers reunited the toddler with his parents on Pennsylvania Ave and asked them a few questions, the AP reported.
CBS news reports that in 2019, the Secret Service began construction on a 13-foot, 1-inch high fence, more than double the size of the previous 6-foot fence. The higher fence has wider and stronger pickets meant to keep intruders out, especially after a few high-profile incidents of intruders and fence-jumpers getting onto White House grounds.
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This little guy may be the first to successfully trespass onto the complex grounds since the new fence was constructed—because if anyone can slip through one of the most guarded, secure perimeters in the world, a toddler can!
The little guy was visiting the U.S. capital with his family all the way from Canada. He was quickly reunited with his parents after his impromptu intrusion.