The individual suspected of vandalizing Vice President JD Vance’s home in Ohio has been identified.
The authorities arrested a 26-year-old man identified as William DeFoor on Monday morning. He allegedly used a hammer to shatter several windows and also damaged a Secret Service vehicle that was parked nearby.
The agents heard the noise around midnight and quickly caught DeFoor before Cincinnati police arrived to take him into custody.
The vice president was not home at the time of the vandalism.
This was not DeFoor’s first brush with the law. In April 2025, he pleaded guilty to two counts of vandalism after causing more than $2,000 in damage to an interior design company in Hyde Park. He was sentenced to two years of treatment at a mental health facility and was ordered to pay $5,500 in restitution.
When officers read him his rights, DeFoor reportedly responded, “I don’t know,” according to The Independent.
The authorities charged DeFoor with vandalism, criminal trespassing, and obstructing official business. He did not manage to enter the home before being detained.
🚨 BREAKING: William DeFoor has been ARRESTED after reportedly vandalizing JD Vance's home in Ohio
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 5, 2026
It's always the eyes.
The psycho was detained by Secret Service shortly after attacking the Vance residence.
LOCK HIM UP! pic.twitter.com/splPLiNgp1
Vance addressed the incident in a post on social media. “I appreciate everyone's well wishes about the attack at our home,” the vice president wrote. “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.”
He affirmed that he and his family were not home at the time of the incident and criticized media outlets for “plastering images of our home with holes in the windows” on social media.
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.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 5, 2026
We weren't even home as we had returned…
There have been other incidents in which people have targeted Vance for political reasons. When he first purchased his home, a local artist “yarn bombed” it in 2023, while Vance was still a senator. The artist wrapped a tree, a signpost, and a utility pole in rainbow-colored arn and attached signs reading “Respect Our Rights” and other LGBTQ-themed messages.