White House lockdown lifted after fence-jumper captured
WASHINGTON -- After spending three hours under lockdown, the White House was given the all-clear Thursday afternoon after authorities caught a man that had climbed over the fence of the North Lawn.
The fence-jumper, identified as Joseph Caputo, wore what appeared to be an American flag and was seen carrying a binder. After he scaled the White House barrier at approximately 2:45 PM, he knelt down on the lawn and put his hands up. He was later captured by the Secret Service and taken into custody. Caputo was not equipped with any weapons.
According to Robert Hoback, a spokesperson at the Secret Service's Office of Government and Public Affairs, "criminal charges are pending at this time." The north and south fence lines were temporarily closed, but the lockdown was cleared after a few hours.
The Thanksgiving Day incident, the latest in a string of fence-jumping episodes, follows recent attempts by the Secret Service and National Park Service to beef up security measures around the presidential mansion.
One of the steps announced earlier this year included installing temporary "anti-climb" spikes to the top of the White House fence specifically to discourage such breeches.
President Obama and his family were spending Thanksgiving at the White House, according to his public schedule.
CBS News' Jillian Hughes and Kris Van Cleave contributed to this report.