The White House was locked down after a man with an American flag draped over his shoulders jumped over the fence and entered the lawn on Thursday.
U.S. Secret Service identified the man as Joseph Caputo, who was arrested and faced criminal charges.
"Today, at approximately 2:45 p.m., Joseph Caputo scaled over the north fence line of the White House Complex gaining access to the North Grounds. Caputo was immediately apprehended and taken into custody. Criminal charges are pending at this time," U.S. Secret Service spokesman Robert Hoback said in an email, according ABC News.
The White House reopened after the Secret Service completed a security check.
President Barack Obama was believed to be in the White House when the incident occurred, according to Express UK.
Caputo was arrested on the North Lawn of the White House. He was also carrying a brown paper folder and raised his arms when he got in.
Fencing at the White House was added with sharp metal spikes in June after an Army veteran pleaded guilty to going over the fence with a folding knife last year.
Vanessa Pena, who was right next to Caputo outside the White House, posted photos of the man as he scaled the fence.
"This guy standing right next to me jumped the White House fence," she posted on Twitter.
"I heard him take a deep breath and whisper 'alright let's do this' and went for it," Pena wrote.
Pena told the Washington Post, "Then he just ran through us, jumped over the first barricade and went over the fence. Right when he landed, he threw his arms in the air and went to his knees."
Caputo's arrest was made amid heightened security concerns in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks last Nov. 13 that killed 130 people, Reuters reported.
This is the third time that someone jumped over the White House fence this year. One woman jumper was arrested last July while another was arrested in April.