The Cincinnati area home of JD Vance was vandalized by a hammer-wielding suspect early Monday morning. Ohio Authorities say the suspect was apprehended on the spot by U.S. Secret Service agents after pulverizing windows and vandalizing official vehicles in a brazen attempt to penetrate the property of the Vice President.
The destruction on the JD Vance mansion unfolded just after 12:00 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, when neighbors were jolted awake by the sound of shattering glass and frantic footsteps near the river-overlooking estate valued at roughly $1.4 million. The Vance residence on a tree-lined street in Cincinnati’s historic East Walnut Hills neighborhood is a private home for JD Vance and his family.
“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,” JD Vance said on X. “We weren’t even home as we had returned already to DC.”
BREAKING: Attack on JD Vance’s home in Ohio.
Several windows have been smashed and Police has been arrested a man named Sam Hyde.#JDVance #DonaldTrump #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/lfz5j2mxc9
— Rebel_Warriors (@Rebel_Warriors) January 5, 2026
According to law enforcement, 26-year-old William DeFoor of Ohio is now in custody after storming up the JD Vance mansion driveway carrying a hammer and aggressively breaking windows in an apparent bid to get inside. The Secret Service, which had agents stationed at the home around the clock, intervened swiftly and detained DeFoor without reported physical injury to officers or damage beyond shattered glass.
A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed the man was taken into custody over the JD Vance mansion break-in shortly after midnight, after agents responded to an alarm and found him actively trying to breach the home’s exterior. The suspect also allegedly caused damage to a Secret Service vehicle parked near the property as he approached.
Neighbors of JD Vance described an eerie scene: bright floodlights, police cruisers lining the street, and federal agents combing the lawn in pursuit of the intruder. The normally tranquil residential block was transformed into a high-stakes crime scene in a matter of minutes.
This is the dork who they arrested for smashing JD Vance’s windows with a hammer.
Crazy eyes as usual. pic.twitter.com/j450TPDtVp
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) January 5, 2026
While the motive remains unclear — and authorities have not yet publicly released details about William DeFoor’s intentions — records show he has a troubled legal history. According to the New York Post, he previously pleaded guilty to vandalism in April 2025, resulting in court-ordered mental health treatment and restitution after causing damage to a local business.
JD Vance also made a pointed appeal to the press, urging national outlets to refrain from circulating images of his family’s private residence out of concern for his children’s privacy and safety.
Cincinnati Police have charged William DeFoor with multiple offenses stemming from the incident, including vandalism, criminal trespass, obstructing official business, and endangering. Court documents list his first appearance scheduled for Tuesday in Hamilton County Municipal Court.
William DeFoor is scheduled to be arraigned at Hamilton County Municipal Court in Ohio on Tuesday. Following the JD Vance mansion break-in, video of the footage of large hammer holes in windows of the Vice President’s home went viral online.
As Secret Service investigators sift through evidence at the JD Vance mansion, a motive for the break-in remain murky, the episode raises uncomfortable questions about the escalating assassination threats faced by public officials in an era marked by political polarization and violence. For now, the shattered windows of JD Vance’s Cincinnati mansion stand as a chilling reminder: even the nation’s second-in-command is not beyond the reach of sheer brute force
