Just after midnight early Monday, a 26‑year‑old man was cuffed in the quiet East Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, accused of smashing windows and trying to force his way into the Ohio home tied to U.S. Vice President JD Vance. The arrest comes as federal and local law enforcement pieced together what authorities are calling a security incident at the residence.
Police and U.S. Secret Service agents responded to reports of suspicious activity at the property on William Howard Taft Drive in Cincinnati shortly after 12 a.m., drawn by the sound of breaking glass and what the Secret Service later described as a man doing damage to the exterior of the home. Video and eyewitness accounts show several windows on the ground floor shattered, and a vehicle on the property was also left damaged.
Law enforcement quickly identified and detained the man — later named in court records as William DeFoor of Hyde Park. According to the arrest report, a Secret Service agent saw DeFoor on the residence’s grounds and captured part of the encounter on body‑worn camera. DeFoor allegedly used a hammer to break at least four windows before attempting to flee when officers confronted him.
After Secret Service personnel physically detained him, Cincinnati police booked DeFoor into the Hamilton County Justice Center on multiple charges. Alongside misdemeanors for criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass, and obstructing official business, he now faces a fifth‑degree felony vandalism charge tied to the property damage.
Officials confirmed that Vice President Vance and his family were not home at the time. They had returned to Washington, D.C., Sunday afternoon after spending the holidays in Cincinnati. In a post on X, Vance said he was thankful for the swift response by agents and police and urged media outlets to be thoughtful about sharing images of the damaged windows, emphasizing his children’s privacy.
Court records show DeFoor has a history of encounters with law enforcement, including a 2024 incident in Hyde Park where he was charged with vandalism after allegedly breaking into a business window. Earlier, in 2023, he was arrested at a Cincinnati psychiatric emergency facility but was later deemed not competent to stand trial.
At the scene, the Secret Service said it is continuing to work closely with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office as decisions are made on further charges. For now, the investigation remains active, and authorities are still reviewing the full circumstances of the break‑in attempt.
