A hammer-wielding maniac who smashed four windows at JD Vance‘s Cincinnati home has been arrested by the Secret Service after an overnight break-in.
William DeFoor, 26, was charged early Monday morning with one count each of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism.
Secret Service agents heard a loud noise at the home around midnight and spotted DeFoor running from the home, which is the secondary residence for Vance, his wife Usha and their three young children, who were out of town at the time.
DeFoor was detained by Secret Service agents shortly after. When an officer informed the suspect of his rights, he responded: ‘I don’t know,’ the arrest report says.
He had also allegedly vandalized a Secret Service vehicle on his way up the home’s driveway.
No motive has been released.
Vance posted on X: ‘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 already to DC.’
William DeFoor, 26, was charged early Monday morning with one count each of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism
Windows at Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati home were smashed on Monday morning
Police and Secret Service agents were seen surrounding the property shortly after the break-in
Vice President JD Vance (C), alongside his daughter Mirabel (L) and Second Lady Usha Vance (R) pose next to a pardoned turkey named Gobble in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 25 November
DeFoor has been accused of trashing property before.
He pleaded guilty in April to two counts of vandalism after causing more than $2,000 worth of damage to an interior design company, court records show.
He was sentenced to treatment at a mental health facility for two years and was required to pay $5,550 in damages.
DeFoor is set to be arraigned at Hamilton County Municipal Court on Tuesday.
Following the break-in, footage was released showing large holes in the windows of Vance’s home as cops patrolled the scene and recorded evidence of the damage.
The luxurious East Walnut Hills property overlooks the Ohio River and spans 2.3 acres. The Vance family purchased the home for $1.4 million.
After taking the vice presidential oath of office in January 2025, Vance and his wife have lived with their three children at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC.
The couple also own a property on Capitol Hill.
They previously owned a farmhouse in Alexandria, bought shortly after Vance began his term as a Senator for Ohio, which they sold in March last year.
A Secret Service spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘An adult male was taken into custody by the Cincinnati Police Department after being detained by US Secret Service personnel for causing property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence associated with the Vice President.’
They added: ‘Shortly after midnight on Monday, January 5, the man was physically detained by Secret Service agents assigned to the Vice President’s home. The residence was unoccupied at the time of the incident, and the Vice President and his family were not in Ohio.’
