Man Dead After Crashing His Car into Security Barrier at White House

The incident, which took place on May 4 at the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the South Lawn, marks the second crash near the White House since January

A man has died after crashing his car into a security barrier outside the White House.

According to reports from the Associated Press and DC News Now, authorities said the crash occurred at the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest — near the South Lawn of the White House and the Ellipse — around 10:30 p.m. on May 4.

Officers responded to the incident within about 15 minutes, and the man — who has not been publicly identified — was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlets reported. Per the AP, President Joe Biden was away in Delaware at the time.

The DC Police Department wrote in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that its Major Crash Investigations Unit was investigating the incident as a traffic crash.

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi wrote in a statement posted on X that the crash did not pose any "threat or public safety implications."

"Shortly before 10:30pm on May 4th, a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed collided with an outer perimeter gate on the White House complex," Guglielmi wrote. "Security protocols were implemented as officers cleared the vehicle and attempted to render aid to the driver who was discovered deceased. There was no threat to the White House."

"The fatal crash portion of this will be turned over to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department Crash Investigation Unit and the Secret Service investigation continues," Guglielmi added.

This is the second crash to take place outside the White House this year. According to Reuters, a man crashed his car into a gate outside the White House complex on January 8. At the time, Guglielmi said that the driver was taken into custody due to "the cause and manner" of the crash.

Just one month prior, in December 2023, a 46-year-old driver who was allegedly drunk crashed into a parked car that was guarding President Biden's motorcade in Wilmington, Del., according to an AP report at the time. The driver's sedan then continued into an intersection that had been sealed off by officials, as Biden was visiting his campaign headquarters at the time, police said, with a Secret Service spokesman adding that the incident was not a threat to the president, per the AP.

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Additionally, in May 2023, a 19-year-old man identified by authorities as Sai Varshith Kandula crashed a U-Haul truck into yet another security barrier outside the White House, The Washington Post reported at the time. He allegedly got out of the truck and displayed a Nazi flag, according to prosecutors. Investigators at the time believed Kandula was planning to denounce the U.S. government, and charged him with destruction of government property, per the outlet. A hearing in Kandula's case — which has not yet gone to trial — is scheduled for May 13.

Guglielmi noted of the May 4 crash that "limited traffic closures" were in effect, and Washington, D.C., fire and police departments were still investigating the incident.

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