A person has been arrested after a car was driven into a security gate outside the White House late Tuesday, according to the Secret Service.
The agency has refused to say whether they believe the crash was on purpose.
The incident took place at 10:37 p.m. at the security gate for the western entrance to the complex, near the corner of 17th and E Streets.
The driver was immediately arrested by officers from the Secret Service's uniformed division.
President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time, the agency said, but investigators felt no need to initiate a lockdown. Just hours before the incident, the president hosted Republican senators for a luncheon in the Rose Garden as federal employees continue to go without pay due to the shutdown.
At approximately 10:37 p.m., an individual drove a vehicle into the Secret Service vehicle gate located at 17th & E St, NW, in Washington, DC. The individual was arrested & the vehicle was assessed and deemed safe. Our investigation into the cause of this collision is ongoing.
— U.S. Secret Service Office of Communications (@SecretSvcSpox) October 22, 2025
News agency photographs from the scene late Tuesday showed bomb detection robots inspecting a black car outside the gate.
The car was searched, and investigators from both the USS and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department deemed it to be safe, officials said in a statement.
“Our investigation into the cause of this collision is ongoing,” a statement from the agency read.
The road leading to the gate will remain closed until the police tow the vehicle away.
Authorities have yet to provide any additional information regarding the crash, the identity of the arrested driver, or any potential motive behind the incident.
There has been a flurry of activity at the White House this week as work began on a new $250m ballroom demanded by Mr Trump. Construction crews have started tearing down the facade of the East Wing, where the new space is being built.
The 90,000-square-foot ballroom will dwarf the main White House itself, at nearly double the size, and Trump says it will accommodate 999 people.
The White House sits on an 18-acre plot and boasts 132 rooms, two main entrances, and several secondary entrances.
The crash came despite the National Guard’s presence on the streets of the capital. Reports this week said that troops are expected to remain there until the summer of 2026.
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