The U.S. Secret Service placed the White House on a brief lockdown on Monday morning, Nov. 9, 2026, after a vehicle struck near Lafayette Park and a second person jumped a nearby barricade while President Donald Trump was at the residence.1,2,4,6
Two people were arrested in separate incidents that occurred around the same time shortly before 10 a.m., according to a statement from a Secret Service spokesperson, and the lockdown was prompted by the fact that Trump was home at the time.6
In the first incident, a vehicle struck the sidewalk surrounding Lafayette Park, which sits in front of the presidential compound. In the second, an individual jumped a barricade near the northwest corner of Lafayette Park. Both individuals were quickly placed under arrest.4,6
The driver was described in the Secret Service statement as combative with law enforcement. "The driver was combative with law enforcement, but was quickly placed under arrest," the statement noted.2,6
"Around the same time, a second individual jumped a barricade near the northwest corner of Lafayette Park. That individual was also quickly placed under arrest," the statement said.6
The New York Post described a car ramming through a secure area, while TheBlaze said an unidentified vehicle crashed into a sign immediately adjacent to the White House perimeter and rammed into a sign near the White House fence. Breitbart described a car plowing into a sign at Lafayette Square Park.1,2,5
The Independent described the same vehicle as having driven onto the sidewalk and struck the sidewalk surrounding Lafayette Park, while Al Jazeera summarized it as a vehicle crash at Lafayette Park paired with a second individual jumping a barrier.4,6
Secret Service officers corralled on-site journalists into the White House while police arrested the driver. Road closures were put in place around the area, and members of the U.S. Secret Service Crime Scene Search Unit were seen inspecting a car that crashed at Lafayette Square.2,6
Trump was in the White House and at his residence during both incidents. The Independent said his presence is what prompted the lockdown, and TheBlaze also said he was in the White House when the car struck near the fence on Monday morning.2,6
The driver had not been identified, and the reason for the crash was unclear. The reports did not say whether the two incidents were connected, whether anyone was injured, or what charges either person might face.2,3,6
Active investigations were under way after the two breaches, according to the summary of the incidents. The reports did not describe any further security actions beyond the brief lockdown, the arrests and the road closures.4,6
