OAN Staff Cory Hawkins and Brooke Mallory
2:01 PM – Monday, January 5, 2026
A 26-year-old man was arrested by Cincinnati police after officers and U.S. Secret Service agents responded to an attempted break-in at Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio residence.
William DeFoor, 26, was detained just after midnight on Monday when authorities were alerted by the sound of breaking glass and observed him trespassing on the property.
According to reports, DeFoor previously lived in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, though recent arrest records identify him as a resident of the Hyde Park neighborhood in Cincinnati.
Additionally, the Daily Mail and other outlets have reported that DeFoor, a biological male, has been in the process of “transitioning” genders and he now identifies as a transgender woman under the name Julia DeFoor. The trespasser has been using the name Julia on social media and identifying as a woman “in recent weeks” leading up to the incident.
Armed with a hammer, DeFoor shattered four windows of the residence before vandalizing a Secret Service vehicle parked in the driveway. Authorities say he then fled on foot, running eastbound, before being physically apprehended by police a short distance away.
The incident took place at the VP’s private residence in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati. Purchased by the Vances in 2018, it is described as a historic, 157-year-old Victorian Gothic mansion, spanning over 6,000 square feet and sitting on about two acres — overlooking the Ohio River.
“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,” Vance wrote in a post to X.
Neither Vance nor his family members were home during the incident, as he had already returned to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon after spending a week in Cincinnati.
“One request to the media: we try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service. In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows.” Vance’s post continues.
The 26-year-old has been charged with vandalism, a fifth-degree felony, along with three misdemeanors: criminal damaging or endangering, obstructing official business and criminal trespass.
The incident is not DeFoor’s first encounter with the law.
Court records show that Defoor was previously arrested for trespassing at UC Health’s Psychiatric Emergency Services building and failing to disclose personal information in 2023. However, he was later found not competent to stand trial and the charges were dismissed.
In 2024, Defoor was also charged with two counts of vandalism for breaking a window to a Hyde Park business, resulting in over $2,000 in damage. Following those charges, the case was moved to a specialized mental health docket, where he pleaded guilty and was granted “treatment in lieu of conviction,” a legal arrangement where his conviction would be dismissed upon the successful completion of a court-ordered program.
He was sentenced to two years of mental health treatment and ordered to pay $5,550 in restitution. That treatment process and the associated court supervision were still active at the time of his arrest at the Vice President’s home.
The 24-hour security detail at Vance’s residence follows a series of high-profile threats to U.S. politicians, including two previous failed assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, and the targeted murders of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
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