WASHINGTON, November 9, 2026 — A driver was taken into custody after a car struck a sign near Lafayette Square on Monday morning, prompting Secret Service personnel to move White House journalists indoors. No injuries were immediately reported.
The car mounted the sidewalk at the northern end of the park, across from the White House. The New York Post reported that it hit an informational sign and remained more than a block from the executive mansion’s gates.
Footage described by Associated Press showed the driver getting out and entering a physical confrontation with Secret Service officers and National Guard troops. Smoke appeared to rise from the vehicle as it stood on the sidewalk.
Reporters ordered inside shortly after 10 a.m. EST
Newsday White House correspondent Laura Figueroa Hernandez documented the security response in White House press pool reports. Journalists on the North Lawn were instructed to head indoors just after 10:02 a.m. EST.
By her 10:07 a.m. report, most were gathered in the briefing room. Some reporters continued their television appearances outside, with Secret Service personnel stationed nearby. A follow-up at 10:11 a.m. pointed to Washington Sun reporter Martin Austermuhle’s footage as a possible explanation for the restrictions.
The response unfolded around 8:32 p.m. IST on Monday. Those timestamps describe the movement of journalists; an exact crash time had not been established in the accounts reviewed.
President Donald Trump was at the White House preparing for meetings, according to the New York Post. Mint, citing the Daily Mail, reported that journalists were permitted to return to their outdoor television positions around 10:30 a.m. EST.
Journalists describe crash and sudden restrictions
Austermuhle opened his post accompanying the footage with “Unclear what happened,” before describing the car striking a sign and the confrontation that followed.
White House reporter Connor Stringer described the press corps being ordered inside. “Not clear why or what the threat is,” he wrote, according to the Mirror US. The outlet also reported that CBS White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs confirmed a lockdown.
The Mirror US reported that the driver was in custody by 10:30 a.m. and was heard shouting “Oh my God.” The reports reviewed did not identify the driver or specify any charges.
Security restrictions have followed earlier emergencies in the same area, including the November 2025 shooting near the White House previously covered by Swikblog.
The cause of Monday’s crash remained unclear. No official finding establishing whether the collision was deliberate was available in the reporting reviewed. AP said a Secret Service spokesperson had not immediately responded to its initial request for comment.
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