Secret Service Recovers ‘Device’ At White House

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Secret Service says a small drone crashed overnight at the White House complex while the president was in India.

An investigation is underway to determine its origin and identify suspects and their motive.

Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary says the device was a quadcopter and was about 2 feet in diameter. A quadcopter is an unmanned aircraft that is lifted by four propellers.

Leary says the quadcopter was flying at a very low altitude before it crashed on the southeast side of the executive mansion around 3:08 a.m. Monday.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were in New Delhi and not at the White House.

Leary says in a statement that the White House complex was immediately locked down until the device was examined and cleared.

Allison Leslie is a University of South Florida graduate with a bachelors degree in Mass Communications. She joined Genesis in 2016. With a passion for sports, Allison has interned with 620 WDAE, Pewter Report, Trifecta Team: St. Petersburg Bowl, Bullscast, and many other publications. Being a native to the Bay Area, she has followed and supported Tampa Bay teams her whole life.