A vehicle smashed into an outer perimeter gate near the White House late Saturday.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Fox News.
At the time of the incident, President Joe Biden was in Delaware for the weekend.
The identity of the man driving the vehicle was not released. The incident took place shortly before 10:30 p.m., the Secret Service said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
An investigation is underway after a man died in a crash near the White House on Saturday evening, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.https://t.co/z1aBUYt2WL
— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) May 5, 2024
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#BREAKING : The male driver was pronounced dead after the vehicle crashed into a security barrier around the White House complex. The cause of the crash is under investigation.#WhiteHouse #WashingtonDC #UnitedStates #USA #Alert #POTUS pic.twitter.com/LWXije20a7
— upuknews (@upuknews1) May 5, 2024
The Secret Service statement on the social media platform X said the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed when the vehicle hit an outer security perimeter barrier.
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“There was no threat to the White House,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and “no threat or public safety implications.”
D.C. police said the incident is considered “only as a traffic crash” at this time, according to The Washington Post.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the crash took place at the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Limited traffic closures remain in effect as Secret Service teams, @dcfireems & @DCPoliceDept investigate a fatal vehicle crash that occurred at an exterior perimeter gate by the White House. There is no threat or public safety implications and our preliminary statement is below pic.twitter.com/zGTVDuZV5E
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) May 5, 2024
The Post reported the location is about 1,000 feet from the White House itself.
“Security protocols were implemented as officers cleared the vehicle and attempted to render aid to the driver who was discovered deceased,” the Secret Service said, according to Fox.
The Secret Service and police will continue to investigate the incident.
In January, a non-fatal accident took place in which a vehicle collided with the White House gate at the same location, according to CBS.
Biden was not at the White House at the time of that accident.
At the time of the incident, police and the Secret Service did not indicate if charges would be filed against the driver, according to The New York Times.
According to the CBS report, the man driving the car — silver or gray Cadillac Escalade with Virginia plates — appeared to have “mental health challenges.”
