Hamilton County Justice Center / Reuters
(Cincinnati Ohio) – The arrest of a 26-year-old man accused of vandalizing the Ohio home of Vice President JD Vance has sparked widespread questions online about how the suspect was able to get so close to the residence – and what might have happened if the Vice President and his family had been home.
“A crazy person tried to break in,” Vice President JD Vance wrote after a suspect allegedly smashed windows at his Ohio home, an attack that has ignited online concern over security and raised chilling questions about what might have happened had Vance and his family not already returned to Washington.
Authorities say William DeFoor was taken into custody early Monday morning after U.S. Secret Service agents observed him enter the East Walnut Hills property and damage four residential windows and the vice president’s vehicle. Officials said the Vance family was out of town at the time, and investigators do not believe the suspect gained entry into the home.
Still, the incident has fueled concern on social media, where users questioned the apparent ease with which the suspect accessed the property of a sitting vice president. Some commenters asked whether additional safeguards should have been in place and what the outcome could have been had the family been present.
The U.S. Secret Service said it is coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office as the investigation continues, including whether the residence was deliberately targeted. According to federal law enforcement, the suspect’s motive remains under review.
DeFoor faces charges including obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass, and vandalism. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Hamilton County Municipal Court. Court records show he has prior vandalism convictions and was previously ordered to undergo mental health treatment.
Officials have not disclosed whether security procedures at the residence will be reviewed following the incident, but the episode has renewed public scrutiny over protective measures for high-ranking federal officials — even when they are away from home.
