DeFoor allegedly caused about $28,000 in damage using a hammer, according to a federal affidavit filed Monday. Court records show he faced a 2024 vandalism charge and agreed to treatment under the county’s Mental Health Court system.
A Cincinnati man was detained by U.S. Secret Service agents early Monday after breaking windows at Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio home and vandalizing a federal vehicle, authorities said. William D. DeFoor, 26, faces federal charges including damaging government property and assaulting federal officers, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Ohio’s southern district. Vance and his family were not at the residence at the time, having returned to Washington the day before.
DeFoor was detained shortly after midnight by Secret Service agents assigned to Vance’s home east of downtown Cincinnati, agency spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
What happened
Secret Service agents observed a man running along the front fence of Vance’s residence and breach the property line around midnight, according to a federal affidavit filed Monday. DeFoor was allegedly armed with a hammer and vandalized an unmarked Secret Service vehicle on his way up the driveway before moving to the front of the home and breaking its glass windows, the affidavit says.
DeFoor tried to flee from agents on foot before he was detained. He is accused of causing approximately $28,000 in damage, the affidavit says.
DeFoor faces three federal counts: damaging government property, engaging in physical violence against property in a restricted area, and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.
Vance’s response
Vance thanked federal and local law enforcement in a post on the social platform X.
“I appreciate everyone’s well wishes about the attack at our home,” Vance said. “As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows.”
DeFoor’s background
Public records list DeFoor as living in Cincinnati. Court records show he faced a 2024 vandalism charge and agreed to treatment under the county’s Mental Health Court system. Calls to listings for possible relatives and an attorney who previously represented DeFoor were not immediately returned, the Associated Press reported.
The Secret Service said it is coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. attorney’s office as charging decisions are reviewed.
The residence
Vance’s Cincinnati home sits in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, on hills overlooking downtown. Vance, a Republican, represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate before becoming vice president. Protesters have periodically gathered outside the home during his vice presidency, including a direct confrontation last spring with Vance himself.
Vance was raised in nearby Middletown, Ohio, and moved to Cincinnati after a period working in Silicon Valley following law school.