A trespasser carrying a suspicious package jumped over the White House railings last night - the latest in a string of embarrassing security breaches to hit the US capital . The intruder was arrested after climbing into the grounds of the President 's home at 10.25pm . Brian Leary of the United States Secret Service - the federal agency in charge of protecting the President - said the unnamed person was in custody in Washington DC and charges were pending . He added that the intruder , whose gender or age has not been released , had been 'immediately ' apprehended by officers in the uniformed division of the Secret Service . Scroll down for video . A member of the Secret Service uniformed division and his K-9 dog patrol the perimeter of the White House . The package was examined and 'deemed to be harmless ' , according to a report by CNN . It is not known what it contained or why the fence was climbed . The trespasser entered the south side of grounds , which face the National Mall . Last September , a knife-wielding man managed to scale the fence on the north side and get into White House itself via an unlocked door . That incident prompted a review of the building 's security . Just last week US officials announced that temporary steel spikes may be put on the tips of the railings . The 8ft-tall fence is due to be replaced in the longer term with a permanent , more secure barrier , the details of which are still under discussion . Security fears : The 8ft-tall railings surrounding the President 's residence are set to be replaced . Security in Washington DC in general has been the focus of much attention in recent months . Last Wednesday an illicit gyrocopter was able to land on the west lawn of the US Capitol . Its pilot Doug Hughes , a Florida mail worker , said he was protesting against the way political campaigns are funded . He is currently under house arrest and faces up to four years in prison if he is found guilty of unlawfully operating an unregistered aircraft and violating national defence airspace . Recent breach : A bomb-squad worker examines the gyrocopter that landed on the Capitol lawn last week . House arrest : The gyrocopter 's pilot Doug Hughes . The 61-year-old told reporters outside his home : ' I had expected to be intercepted on the way . ' He said when he flew over the capital city , 'people were not frightened at all . That part of it was surreal . ' A full-scale security review in Washington was launched in the wake of the breach . The city 's Secret Service is being investigated in a separate probe after two senior agents drove their car into a White House barrier on March 4 . Mark Connolly , who is second in command of Barack Obama ’ s security detail , and George Ogilvie had allegedly been drinking when they crashed the government vehicle . They are subject to an internal investigation . Earlier this month , a senior Secret Service supervisor was suspended over allegations of unwanted sexual advances toward a co-worker . And a uniformed division officer assigned to the Foreign Missions branch was recently charged with destroying property , according to NBC News .
Washington DC managed to get into grounds of presidential residence . Secret Service in Trespasser claim they made an 'immediate ' arrest . Intruder 's parcel was examined but deemed not to be a risk . Breach comes a few days after a gyrocopter landed on Capitol 's lawn .