The U.S. Secret Service and D.C. police investigated a report of a “suspicious item” near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Friday afternoon, closing roads near the White House complex.
“Around 2:40 p.m., on October 23, 2026, Secret Service Police were notified of a suspicious item near 17th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue,” a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement to NewsNation.
The roads in the area were closed out of an “abundance of caution,” according to the statement.
The Metropolitan Police Department and other partners responded to the scene. The Secret Service said the investigation is ongoing.
Authorities urged the public to stay clear of the area. “Citizens in the area should heed the advice of local authorities,” the agency said in a post.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building sits next to the White House and houses many of the offices that support the president’s staff, making any security scare there a serious matter for federal law enforcement.
Friday’s incident was the second suspicious package scare in Washington that day.
Earlier Friday morning, police and the Secret Service investigated a report of a suspicious package near the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgetown. The Metropolitan Police Department said officers responded to the 3300 block of M Street NW around 8:40 a.m. to help the Secret Service.
The department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was called in. Police closed several roads in Georgetown, along with both directions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge between Washington and Arlington, Virginia, during the morning rush hour.
The embassy was evacuated while authorities investigated. It later reopened after the item was determined not to be harmful, and lanes along M Street had reopened by noon.
Authorities have not said whether the two incidents are connected, and no details had been released Friday afternoon about what the item near the Eisenhower building was.
President Donald Trump was not in Washington at the time. He was in Florida on Friday afternoon for a campaign rally in Fort Myers.
The closures come as the Secret Service remains on heightened alert around the White House complex. Officials have stressed that reports of suspicious items are taken seriously and investigated fully. More details are expected as the investigation continues.
