UPDATE, 10:07 a.m. Eastern: Authorities have identified a suspect:
BREAKING: William DeFoor, 26, has been charged after attempting to break into Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio home, allegedly using a hammer to smash windows. pic.twitter.com/304J0XrM4R
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 5, 2026
UPDATE, 9:54 a.m. Eastern: The VP has weighed in with a statement 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.
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.
Original story:
Someone reportedly broke windows at Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati, Ohio, home. The vice president and his family were not in the house at the time.
Local police did arrest a suspect following the vandalism, but there have as yet been no reports of injuries related to the incident, according to Tousi TV. Fox Business, however, reported that the Secret Service detained the suspect.
In a statement to ABC News, the U.S. Secret Service said, “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.”
Fox Business also reported that the suspect had allegedly broken windows in the vice president’s home with his act of vandalism.
While authorities have not released a name for the suspect or a potential motive, the shooting occurred in the midst of controversy over the Trump administration’s successful strike in Venezuela, which enabled them to capture narcoterrorist dictator Nicolás Maduro and bring him back to the United States to face justice.
For Our VIPs: Leftists Protest in Support of Dictator Maduro Rather Than Iranian Freedom Fighters
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) reacted to the shooting by blaming Democrat rhetoric against Republicans and particularly against President Donald Trump and Vance. “But spare me the surprise. When politicians and media figures spend years calling their opponents fascists and dehumanize us, people take them seriously. The left's violent rhetoric has consequences. This has to stop,” she posted on X.
President Trump was injured in 2024 at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania by Thomas Crooks, who took Corey Comperatore’s life.
This is a developing story.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story reported that the incident at the Vance home was a shooting. It was an act of vandalism. We apologize to our readers for this error.
Editor’s Note: Support and follow PJ Media’s coverage of shootings and other key news in this new year. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member