Toddler briefly enters White House grounds along north fence

A “curious” toddler entered White House grounds on Tuesday, triggering U.S. Secret Service officers before the child and the parents were reunited, the Secret Service said. 

U.S. Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Gugliemli said in a statement that the uniformed division “encountered a curious young visitor along the White House north fence line.” According to The Associated Press, which captured the moment on camera, access to the complex was briefly restricted. 

The parents were questioned before the reunification, the AP reported.

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, which has wider and stronger pickets, was meant to keep intruders out, especially after a few high-profile incidents of intruders and fence-jumpers getting onto White House grounds.