Just after midnight on Jan. 5, U.S. Secret Service detained a man who allegedly broke the windows of the Ohio home of Vice President JD Vance and his family. Here, Vice President JD Vance can be seen with Second Lady Usha Vance and their three children, Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel, as they exit Air Force 2. (Photo credit: Riccardo De Luca / Anadolu via Getty Images)
An Investigation Is Underway To Determine A Motive
Just after midnight on Monday, Jan. 5, a man was arrested at the Ohio home of Vice President JD Vance and his family.
According to a statement made by the U.S. Secret Service, which was shared with the Cincinnati-based station WLWT5, a local affiliate of NBC, “An adult male was taken into custody by the Cincinnati Police Department after being detained by U.S. Secret Service personnel for causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence associated with the Vice President.”
Noting that Secret Service agents assigned to Vance’s home detained the suspect, the statement goes on to say, “The residence was unoccupied at the time of the incident, and the Vice President and his family were not in Ohio.”
According to the Associated Press, which received quotes from two anonymous law enforcement officers, “The Secret Service heard a loud noise at the home around midnight and found a person who had broken a window with a hammer and was trying to get into the house.”
Further, the suspect reportedly “had also vandalized a Secret Service vehicle on his way up the home’s driveway, one of the officials said.”
Presently, Secret Service is working with the Cincinnati Police Department, as well as the Department of Justice, concerning charges.
According to the Hamilton County Justice Center, 26-year-old William DeFoor is charged with Obstructing Official Business, Criminal Damaging or Endangering, Criminal Trespass, and Vandalism.
DeFoor is presently unable to be released, as he has been placed under a holder allowing, potentially, for other agencies to detain him or question him.
JD Vance Responds To The Incident
Responding to this incident on X, JD Vance used the word “attack” and said he believed “a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows.”
Vance went on to deride some media outlets for potentially putting his family at greater risk by showing images of his Ohio residence, writing:
“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.”
JD Vance is the husband to Second Lady Usha Vance.
Together, JD and Usha Vance have three children, all of whom are under the age of 10: Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel.
See JD Vance’s full post, here:
I appreciate everyone’s well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I’m grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly.
We weren’t even home as we had returned…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 5, 2026
This is a developing story.
A Trend Of Political Violence
Over the past decade, political violence in America has increasingly become a concern.
Of course, President Donald Trump survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 presidential campaign.
The first of those attempts was the deadly shooting at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally which saw Trump get shot in the ear. A firefighter seated behind Trump, named Corey Comperatore, died from a bullet aimed at the president.
The second attempt was perpetrated by Ryan Routh along the golf course at Mar-a-Lago. Routh was found guilty on Sept. 23, 2025, convicted of attempted assassination and several weapons violations.
Routh’s sentencing was initially set for Dec. 18, 2025, but has been rescheduled to Feb. 16.
Last year, on Sept. 10, 2025, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, was killed at one of his campus events while taking questions from students at Utah Valley University.
In April of 2025, the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was the subject of arson.
In June of 2022, an armed man was arrested outside of the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
In November of 2018, the home of conservative firebrand, and then Fox News host, Tucker Carlson was threatened by a group of ANTIFA members while his wife was home.
Current Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Steve Scalise, R-LA, was shot during practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in 2017. Three others, including a U.S. Capitol police officer, were also shot in the attack perpetrated by a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT.
Throughout the past few years, the practice of “swatting,” or falsely calling law enforcement about life-threatening situations at a public figure’s home, has become somewhat common.
Preceding much of the violence in the current political climate in America, Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-AZ, was the target of an assassination attempt. Shot through the head, Giffords survived, but six others were shot and killed.
In this latest incident, on Jan. 5, allegedly targeting the family home of Vice President JD Vance, Vance said on X that a hammer was used. This was backed up by anonymous reports made to the Associated Press.
While the nature of the circumstances are somewhat different, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, named Paul, was assaulted in the Pelosi home on Oct. 28, 2022, by a 42-year-old man wielding a hammer.
The assailant, named David DePape, was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
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