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---
title: Drone Lands Inside White House Grounds
description: The device prompted an increased security presence around the White House
canonical: https://time.com/3682180/drone-white-house/
author: NBC News
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2015-01-26T12:07:35.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:45:18.389Z
article:section: Politics
og:title: Drone Lands Inside White House Grounds
og:description: The device prompted an increased security presence
og:url: https://time.com/3682180/drone-white-house/
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og:image:alt: A member of the US Secret Service stands guard in front of the White House in Washington on Oct. 23, 2014.
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twitter:title: Drone Lands Inside White House Grounds
twitter:description: The device prompted an increased security presence
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd57a171656b0333/69877bd10b72e35d946dd56d/white-house-fence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# Drone Lands Inside White House Grounds

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by 

[NBC News](https://time.com/author/nbc-news/)


## NBC News


Jan 26, 2015 12:07 PM UTC

![A member of the US Secret Service stands guard in front of the White House in Washington on Oct. 23, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd57a171656b0333/69877bd10b72e35d946dd56d/white-house-fence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

A member of the US Secret Service stands guard in front of the White House in Washington on Oct. 23, 2014.

A member of the US Secret Service stands guard in front of the White House in Washington on Oct. 23, 2014. Mark Wilson—Getty Images

by 

[NBC News](https://time.com/author/nbc-news/)


## NBC News


Jan 26, 2015 12:07 PM UTC

NEW DELHI, India — A drone landed inside the White House grounds early Monday, a federal law enforcement official told NBC News.

The official gave no further details about the unmanned aerial vehicle, other than to say it landed in a tree at 3 a.m. ET. The Secret Service responded and determined the drone did not pose a threat, the official said.

Earlier, President Barack Obama’s Press Secretary Josh Earnest told a briefing on [Obama’s trip to India](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/obama-india-pm-modi-hug-it-out-nuclear-talks-n293011) that a “device” was found within the White House grounds. Earnest gave no further details.

The device prompted an increased security presence around the White House early Monday…

[Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/device-discovered-white-house-lawn-n293466?cid=par-time-article%5F20150126)

### Drone Country: See America From Above

![House boats appear next to the shoreline of Bidwell Canyon on Lake Oroville in Northern California on November 25, 2014. Lake Oroville is California's second largest reservoir, and is currently 70% empty as a result of the state's severe drought.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7e78d919c7e0676/69876dfe428a9e9101cc5f49/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_15.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

House boats appear next to the shoreline of Bidwell Canyon on Lake Oroville in Northern California on November 25, 2014\. Lake Oroville is California's second largest reservoir, and is currently 70% empty as a result of the state's severe drought. Tomas van Houtryve—VII

![Campers appear in an RV park in Fernley, Nevada on November 25, 2014. The nearby Amazon Fulfillment Center recruits people living out of RVs to work on the floor of their warehouse during peak holiday shipping season. Many of the campers are senior citizens whose homes or savings were wiped out by the 2008 economic crisis.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte292985140679957/69876dfd35ba6f03c7c05e7b/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_14.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Campers appear in an RV park in Fernley, Nevada on November 25, 2014\. The nearby Amazon Fulfillment Center recruits people living out of RVs to work on the floor of their warehouse during peak holiday shipping season. Many of the campers are senior citizens whose homes or savings were wiped out by the 2008 economic crisis. Tomas van Houtryve—VII

![A parking lot for an Amazon fulfillment center appears in New Jersey on November 11, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95b195100e024233/69876dfae53aba6b284d675c/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_051.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

A parking lot for an Amazon fulfillment center appears in New Jersey on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center


![A residential apartment complex appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5250234798b8005c/69876dfc3c1639174045090d/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

A residential apartment complex appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center

![Vacation homes appear on the New Jersey Shore on November 11, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca7f11cfa6d6ea09/69876dfc35ba6f1dedc05e72/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_10.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Vacation homes appear on the New Jersey Shore on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center

![An empty drive-in movie theater appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9100750f6ef7439/69876dfaf887dc3b3be88eee/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_041.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

An empty drive-in movie theater appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center


![A farm house and field appear outside Trenton, New Jersey on November 11, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt618d3b1294391bf4/69876dfb428a9e265acc5f40/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_061.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

A farm house and field appear outside Trenton, New Jersey on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center

![Cows gather for water and alfalfa distributed by a rancher in a drought-devastated pasture in Merced County, California on November 26, 2014.  As with many areas of the Central Valley of California, these cows would not be able to survive without this kind of supplemental nutrition.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9318900a4a5194be/69876dfe35ba6f6983c05e80/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_16.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Cows gather for water and alfalfa distributed by a rancher in a drought-devastated pasture in Merced County, California on November 26, 2014\. As with many areas of the Central Valley of California, these cows would not be able to survive without this kind of supplemental nutrition. Tomas van Houtryve—VII

![A run-down neighborhood appears in North Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014. In 2012, the FBI ranked Camden as having the most violent crime per capita of any American city with a population of over 50,000. The local police installed millions of dollars of surveillance equipment  in residential neighborhoods, including cameras and microphones that detect the exact location of gunshots.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdbeb095b78f41912/69876dfd5f570fe284b141d1/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_13.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

A run-down neighborhood appears in North Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014\. In 2012, the FBI ranked Camden as having the most violent crime per capita of any American city with a population of over 50,000\. The local police installed millions of dollars of surveillance equipment in residential neighborhoods, including cameras and microphones that detect the exact location of gunshots. Tomas van Houtryve—VII


![Horse stalls appear near Fernley, Nevada on November 24, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18c4c94326f5ca89/69876dfc428a9e34d6cc5f44/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_09.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Horse stalls appear near Fernley, Nevada on November 24, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII

![A swamp appears near Brookfield, Connecticut on November 8, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08d33b0ed515e1e7/69876df90b72e30ba66dc833/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_021.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

A swamp appears near Brookfield, Connecticut on November 8, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center

![Beachfront vacation units appear on Cape Cod, Massachusetts on Nov. 7, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb982c544a33c671c/69876df9a988ca72256ab4cc/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_011.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Beachfront vacation units appear on Cape Cod, Massachusetts on Nov. 7, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center


![The USS New Jersey, a decommissioned battleship, appears on the Delaware river off Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf5978fd5703f6c51/69876dfb06f2c1fba7332ca4/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_08.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

The USS New Jersey, a decommissioned battleship, appears on the Delaware river off Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII

![A college campus appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55d10a9279ed5839/69876dfaf887dceff7e88ef2/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_031.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

A college campus appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center

![Lacrosse players warm up before practice in Clark County, Nevada on January 20, 2014. The nearby Creech Air Force is the main command center for overseas drone strikes.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f8ae0d929474282/69876e58f887dcac52e88f9b/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_17.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Lacrosse players warm up before practice in Clark County, Nevada on January 20, 2014\. The nearby Creech Air Force is the main command center for overseas drone strikes. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center


![Wiggins Park Marina appears in Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ea241772d633d96/69876dfb0b72e3aa506dc838/tomas-van-houtrvye-drone-photography_07.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Wiggins Park Marina appears in Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII

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