A man has been arrested after allegedly attempting to break into the Cincinnati home of US Vice President JD Vance with a hammer. William Defoor, 26, from Crestview Hills, Kentucky, is due to appear in court on Tuesday on charges of vandalism, criminal trespass, criminal damaging, and obstruction of official business.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, according to the Secret Service. Agents heard a loud noise around midnight and found a person who had broken a window with a hammer and was trying to enter the residence. The suspect also vandalised a Secret Service vehicle on the driveway, law enforcement sources said. Vance was not at home at the time, having returned to Washington DC on Sunday.
Vance thanked law enforcement in a post on X, describing the suspect as a “crazy person”. He added: “One request to the media: we try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service. In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows.”
Court records show that Defoor faced a previous vandalism charge in 2024 and agreed to treatment under a mental health court system. Calls to potential relatives and a former attorney were not returned. The Secret Service is coordinating with Cincinnati police and the US attorney’s office on charging decisions.
The attack comes amid heightened security concerns following the June 2025 killing of Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, and a separate attack on another Democratic lawmaker and his wife. In October 2024, a man was sentenced to 30 years for attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer at his California home.
