Security cameras caught Cameron Loew, 22, from Dahlonega, Georgia, jumping over the White House fence. He was quickly taken into custody after being disarmed of the umbrella in his mouth, the Secret Service said.
Loew tossed a backpack over the south fence before climbing over around 7:30 p.m., mere hours before the Capitol Fourth fireworks were scheduled to begin. Loew was immediately taken into custody by the Secret Service Uniformed Division officers.
The individual was charged with unlawful entry and taken to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Officials said he was chasing a squirrel, a "fast-moving" squirrel that apparently slighted him in some unknown manner. A security sweep of the White House complex failed to turn up anything unusual. Normal operations resumed shortly afterwards.
The incident is only the latest in a string of fence-jumping episodes that forced the National Park Service, which helps oversee the White House grounds, to boost fence security.
Sharp metal spikes were added to the fence last year as a a temporary security measure pending a new design for the White House fencing system.
