10 Times White House Security Was Breached

10 Times White House Security Was Breached

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the most egregious instances in which intruders slipped past security and managed to gain access into the White House.

Robert K. Preston

Today, the airspace around the White House is heavily guarded, but back in 1974, that security was far less stringent. This lapse allowed 20-year-old Army Private Robert K. Preston to land a stolen helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House with little resistance. Preston, who had joined the Army to become a pilot, failed his helicopter training and grew disgruntled. Determined to prove his abilities, he stole a helicopter on February 17th 1974 and flew to Washington D. C., where he landed on the White House lawn. Although Secret Service agents opened fire, Preston suffered only minor injuries and even ran towards the White House before being tackled and arrested. He was sentenced to one year in prison and fined $2,400.

Chester Plummer

The 1970s were a challenging period for decorated Army veteran Chester Plummer. His marriage ended in divorce, and a subsequent relationship also fell apart. These personal struggles led to several impulsive actions, including an assault incident involving his father, who pressed charges against him. Everything came to a head on July 25th 1976, when Plummer jumped the White House fence around 9:30 pm, carrying a three-foot metal pipe. As he approached the building, a security guard shot him, and he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. To this day, his motives remain unknown, although people who knew him suggested he harbored no ill feelings towards President Gerald Ford, and may have just been seeking a way to end his life.

Anthony Henry

We all have our grievances with the government, which we typically vent about on social media. But no such thing existed in 1978, so 35-year-old Anthony Henry decided to take his message directly to the president. Henry apparently didn’t like the phrase “In God We Trust” on the U.S. currency and wanted it removed. On October 4th, barefoot and dressed in white karate garb, he scaled the White House fence. He was quickly surrounded by security, but managed to slash two officers with a knife before being arrested. Henry was charged with two counts of assault on a police officer and one count of unlawful entry. Unfortunately, his concerns were never heard, and the phrase remains on American currency to this day.

Frank Eugene Corder

Although security in the White House airspace was beefed up after the 1974 helicopter incident, a similar breach occurred two decades later. This time, the pilot was 38-year-old Army veteran Frank Eugene Corder. By 1994, Corder’s life had taken a steep downturn. He had been convicted of drug charges and his third marriage had just ended. Depressed and heavily intoxicated, Corder stole a small airplane on the night of September 11th 1994, and flew it toward the White House. In his impaired state, Corder crashed the plane into the south lawn while attempting to land and was killed on impact. It appears his intention was to end his life and gain attention in the process.

Francisco Martin Duran

Less than two months after the incident involving Frank Eugene Corder, a man named Francisco Martin Duran made a daring attempt to assassinate President Bill Clinton. Like Corder, Duran had served in the Army but was discharged following a conviction for aggravated assault. On October 29th 1994, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, Duran went to the White House, intending to kill Clinton. After mistaking a group of men on the lawn for the president, Duran opened fire, shooting 29 rounds at the White House. He was quickly tackled by three passersby and held down until Secret Service agents arrived. Duran received a 40-year prison sentence for attempting to kill the president. He is expected to be released in 2029.

Robert Pickett

On February 7th 2001, former IRS accountant Robert Pickett showed up to the White House with a loaded gun. He allegedly fired several shots, triggering a tense 10-minute standoff with police, who repeatedly urged him to drop the weapon. The standoff only ended when an officer shot him in the knee. It appears Pickett, who had a history of mental illness, had been dismissed from the IRS in the late 1980s, which made him consider ending his life. Officers believe he intended to provoke police into fatally shooting him, but that ultimately failed. Instead, Pickett was arrested and later pleaded guilty to violating a local weapons law. He also entered an Alford plea on the charge of assaulting a federal officer.

Tareq & Michaele Salahi

You’ve probably watched a movie where an uninvited guest sneaks into an exclusive event, and wondered, “Could that happen in real life?” Well, apparently, it can. Just ask Tareq and Michaele Salahi. Back in November 2009, the then-married couple was filming for their reality show “The Real Housewives of D.C.” when they managed to bypass two security checkpoints and enter the White House. There, they attended a state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and even took pictures with President Barack Obama. The Secret Service didn’t realize there had been a security breach until the Salahis posted those pictures on Facebook. While they weren’t charged with any crimes, the negative publicity led to their reality show getting canceled after just one season.

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez

On November 11th 2011, 21-year-old Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez parked his car across from the White House and fired at least eight rounds at the building. Ortega-Hernandez, who believed President Obama was the Antichrist, had become increasingly fearful of an impending apocalypse and decided he needed to stop him. Fortunately, neither the President nor the First Lady were in the White House at the time. The Secret Service initially mistook the gunfire for construction noise from a nearby site, and didn’t realize bullets had struck the White House until four days later. Ortega-Hernandez fled the scene after the shooting, but he was apprehended in a Pennsylvania hotel on November 16th and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Omar Gonzalez

Despite the White House fence being fortified with spikes, several people have managed to scale it over the years. In 2014, Iraq war veteran Omar Gonzalez became one of them. Gonzalez dealt with PTSD and had grown increasingly paranoid in the months prior. On September 19th, he jumped the fence and ran into the White House, making it all the way to the East Room before being apprehended. A search revealed a three-and-a-half-inch knife in his pocket. Gonzalez later explained that he believed the “atmosphere was collapsing,” and wanted to warn President Obama to inform the public. The President and his family were however not around when the incident occurred. Gonzalez ultimately pleaded guilty to two felonies and received a 17-month prison sentence.

Jonathan T. Tran

In the first White House security breach of President Donald Trump’s administration, 26-year-old Jonathan T. Tran jumped the fence and entered the grounds. Tran reportedly rattled the back door handle and even peered through a window, all without being noticed. Unlike other incidents on this list, the president was inside the White House at the time of the incident. Tran’s movements triggered multiple security sensors, but it took 17 minutes before he was apprehended by Secret Service agents. He was found with two cans of mace, and told the agents he was “a friend of the President.” Despite this security lapse being labeled “a complete and utter total failure” by the Congressional Oversight Chairman, Tran was only sentenced to two years of probation.


Which of these White House security fails shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments below.