WH jumper was on ground for 15 minutes before being caught: report

A man accused of breaching the White House perimeter last week was reportedly on the grounds for at least 15 minutes before being captured.

Officials are now investigating multiple failures that let Jonathan Tran, 26, roam the area freely while President Trump was at the White House, CNN reported Friday.

A Secret Service source with knowledge of the incident told CNN that the suspect set off several alarms during the incident last Friday night but successfully avoided other sensors.

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“The response to the alarm was lacking, and [the suspect] found vulnerabilities in the system,” the source said of the incident involving the Milpitas, Calif., native.

CNN said Secret Service officials are now conducting a formal review of the March 10 security breach.

A Secret Service source told the network that Tran was spotted on Pennsylvania Avenue as early as 6 p.m. on the night of the incident, roughly six hours before his arrest.

Video surveillance footage of the breach shows the intruder scaling a fence in the northwest corner of the Treasury building immediately adjacent to the White House.

CNN’s source said he activated an alarm in the Treasury moat before crossing over East Executive Drive when an officer came to investigate.

The intruder likely jumped a White House gate near an East Wing guard post that is not routinely staffed before triggering an alarm sensor while hiding behind a pillar there, the source said.

The source noted the intruder tripped several sensors while moving along the East Wing, but it remains unclear whether any were properly investigated.

CNN said a variety of detection systems surround the White House in overlapping zones, with most relying on infrared and microwave technology that is subject to occasional malfunction or false alarms.

Tran was arrested and charged the following day with entering or remaining on restricted grounds while possessing a dangerous weapon. The charges carry up to 10 years in prison if the suspect is convicted.

The suspect was found carrying two cans of Mace in addition to a letter to Trump, according to court documents. Tran told the arresting Secret Service agent he was “a friend of the president,” the documents said.

Trump called the situation “sad” during a March 11 appearance at a Virginia golf club he owns, noting Secret Service agents did a “fantastic job” stopping the intruder, whom he referred to as “a troubled person.”