A fake 911 call reporting a fire had emergency crews responding to the White House on Monday, Jan 15. The incident happened while President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David.
Emergency crews responded to a reported fire at the White House just after 7 a.m., according to local authorities. The Associated Press reported the unidentified caller also said that a person was trapped inside. Within minutes of the false emergency call, District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services and U.S. Secret Service personnel determined it was not an actual emergency, the response was then called off.
According to NBC News, no law enforcement teams were dispatched. Noah Gray, the communications director for city fire and EMS, said it’s in the same spirit of swatting incidents that have been increasingly targeting public officials, particularly in recent weeks.
Swatting calls are made in an attempt to get a large police or emergency presence at a person’s home. In recent weeks, prominent politicians, judges and now the president have been victims of the false report.
Last week, Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing a court case for former President Donald Trump, was the victim of a swatting call. Special Counsel Jack Smith also was targeted by swatting.
NBC News reported that the FBI has a national database to track and prevent swatting incidents.
The AP reported that the person who was reached at the callback number for the fake emergency at the White House said they did not place the call. Authorities then determined the call had been likely spoofed. So far, no arrests have been reported in regard to the incident, and the investigation is ongoing.
President Biden returned to the White House Monday afternoon after spending part of the weekend at the president’s Maryland retreat and taking part in a service event in Philadelphia to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
