--- title: Fence-Jumper Enters White House, Prompting Brief Evacuation description: The White House was partially evacuated Friday evening after an unarmed man jumped a perimeter fence and entered the Executive Mansion. The man, identified by... canonical: https://time.com/3406553/white-house-fence-jumper-evacuation/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-20T04:50:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T10:19:07.484Z article:section: Politics og:title: Fence-Jumper Enters White House, Prompting Brief Evacuation og:description: The White House was partially evacuated Friday evening after an unarmed man jumped a perimeter fence and entered the Executive Mansion. The man, identified by... og:url: https://time.com/3406553/white-house-fence-jumper-evacuation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6603a5e66ec84579/6986a47e35ba6f61b6c03ee1/rtr46zne.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: A U.S. Secret Service agent with an automatic rifle hurries people to evacuate the White House complex over a security alert moments after President Barack Obama and his family left for the presidential retreat, Camp David, in Maryland og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Fence-Jumper Enters White House, Prompting Brief Evacuation twitter:description: The White House was partially evacuated Friday evening after an unarmed man jumped a perimeter fence and entered the Executive Mansion. The man, identified by... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6603a5e66ec84579/6986a47e35ba6f61b6c03ee1/rtr46zne.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Fence-Jumper Enters White House, Prompting Brief Evacuation > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=da033e74-43b7-43dd-a588-e15264285ccb&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Sep 20, 2014 4:50 AM UTC  A U.S. Secret Service agent with an automatic rifle hurries people to evacuate the White House complex over a security alert moments after President Barack Obama and his family left for the presidential retreat, Camp David, in Maryland, September 19, 2014. A U.S. Secret Service agent with an automatic rifle hurries people to evacuate the White House complex over a security alert moments after President Barack Obama and his family left for the presidential retreat, Camp David, in Maryland, September 19, 2014. Larry Downing—Reuters by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Sep 20, 2014 4:50 AM UTC The White House was partially evacuated Friday evening after an unarmed man jumped a perimeter fence and entered the Executive Mansion. The man, identified by U.S. Secret Service as Omar J. Gonzalez, leaped over the fence on the White House North Lawn shortly after President Barack Obama and the First Family departed from the South Lawn on Marine One for a weekend trip to Camp David. Some White House staff and members of the press corps were rushed out of part the complex by uniformed Secret Service officers, including some with weapons drawn. Others in the West Wing were ordered to shelter-in-place. In a striking security breach, Gonzalez, a 42-year-old resident of Copperas Cove, Texas, sprinted more than 250 feet across the lawn and entered the presidential residence through the North Portico doors, where he was apprehended, a Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said. The agency is launching a review of the incident, declaring it “unacceptable” that Gonzalez made it into the building. According to an official, Gonzalez appeared to responding officers to be mentally disturbed and unarmed, and was not carrying any bags when he entered the complex. He was transported to George Washington University hospital for examination after his arrest. The incident follows a fence-jumping episode last week, when members of the Secret Service Emergency Response Team, including a service dog, quickly arrested a man who entered the White House grounds. Staff and reporters were allowed back into the complex nearly an hour after the incident. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) took to Twitter Friday to criticize the agency’s performance. > [](https://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse/status/513169286295453696) > [](https://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse/status/513169690718654467) > [](https://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse/status/513170073356603392) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3406553/white-house-fence-jumper-evacuation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3406553/white-house-fence-jumper-evacuation/"},"headline":"Fence-Jumper Enters White House, Prompting Brief Evacuation","datePublished":"2014-09-20T04:50:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:19:07.484Z","description":"The White House was partially evacuated Friday evening after an unarmed man jumped a perimeter fence and entered the Executive Mansion. 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