President Joe Biden and his wife Jill were rushed by their Secret Service details to a secure location at a local firehouse in Rehoboth beach, Delaware on Saturday when a private plane entered the secure airspace over their holiday home.
Two military jets were also quickly scrambled to respond to the potential threat.
It appears the plane flew over the Biden home by mistake, and there was “no threat to the president or his family,” but an investigation is still ongoing.
While the Secret Service and military responded quickly and effectively, they now publicized their security protocols and a primary secure location for threats to Biden’s beach house.
The Daily Mail reports that:
Biden was spotted in the back of his car Saturday as his presidential motorcade raced down the street and away from the holiday home.
The assembly of vehicles was seen driving straight into the Rehoboth fire station at 12.45pm before security services swept the area clear of bystanders.
Biden left again at 1.29pm after staying in his car with his wife inside the compound the whole time.
REHOBOTH, Delaware- At 12:52p, I saw @POTUS motorcade race into the Rehoboth Fire Station. I saw President Biden through the window of a SUV. Right before the motorcade, I saw 2 military jets flying low over the beach town. The press pool is not with the motorcade.
— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) June 4, 2022
The Mail added:
As is standard practice for presidential trips outside Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration published flight restrictions earlier this week before Biden’s beach town visit.
The restrictions include a 10-mile radius no-fly zone contained within a 30-mile restricted zone.
Federal regulations require pilots to check for flight restrictions along their route before taking off. Still, accidental airspace breaches, particularly around temporary restricted zones, are common.
When this occurs, as was the case in this situation, intercepted planes are normally diverted to a nearby airfield where aircrews are interviewed by law enforcement. Depending on the severity of the transgression, pilots could face potential criminal or civil penalties.
According to the Secret Service, the plane’s captain was not using proper radio channels and did not follow a previously issued notice to airmen (NOTAM) or published flight guidance.
This is picture of the president’s motorcade pulling into fire station. The SUV with the president went right inside the building and then Secret Service began clearing the area. @cbsnews pic.twitter.com/CypdtPvIWR
— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) June 4, 2022
Chief Snyder says POTUS & FLOTUS remained in SUV as it sat in this station garage. The two did not get out.
The chief says his department has had drills with Secret Service to evacuate POTUS to this location in case of emergency. pic.twitter.com/mFU0WPeYKU
— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) June 4, 2022
The local firehouse was the designated secure location for the president and his family in this area. The problem is, now everyone knows it.
Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Defense News. A defense and national security expert, he served as a Marine Corps officer and as a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at US embassies worldwide. Paul holds degrees from Georgetown, London, and Cambridge Universities. He is also CEO of SPECTRE Global Risk, a security advisory firm, and President of the Center for American Defense Studies, a national security think tank. - paulcrespo.substack.com - PAULCRESPO.COM
