Imagine waking up to the news that a hammer-swinging intruder has shattered the windows of the Vice President’s home—right in the heart of Cincinnati.
According to the Daily Mail, in a shocking overnight incident on early Monday, January 6, 2026, a 26-year-old suspect, identified as William D. DeFoor, now going by Julia, was charged with vandalism, criminal trespass, and other counts after breaking into Vice President JD Vance’s $1.4 million East Walnut Hills residence, though thankfully, Vance and his family were out of town at the time.
This brazen act unfolded around midnight, when Secret Service agents heard a loud crash and spotted DeFoor fleeing the scene.
Agents quickly detained DeFoor, who allegedly smashed four windows of Vance’s sprawling 2.3-acre property overlooking the Ohio River, and even damaged a Secret Service vehicle on the driveway.
Cincinnati Police took the suspect into custody, and footage later revealed gaping holes in the windows as law enforcement scoured the area for evidence.
DeFoor faces arraignment at Hamilton County Municipal Court on Tuesday, January 7, 2026, but no motive for this alarming attack has yet surfaced.
DeFoor, a transgender woman, hails from Cincinnati’s upscale Hyde Park, raised in a $1.3 million home just 3.5 miles from Vance’s property.
The suspect’s parents, both medical professionals—father William, a pediatric urologist, and mother Catherine, a general pediatrician—are registered Democrats, adding a curious political layer to this already bizarre tale.
Yet, while the family appears to be tight-knit based on social media posts about university visits and European vacations, the current relationship between DeFoor and her parents remains unclear.
DeFoor’s upbringing screams privilege—educated at the elite Summit Country Day School, a private Catholic high school costing $27,000 annually, and recognized as a National AP Scholar upon graduating in 2018.
Active in drama and music during high school, DeFoor later attended the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music but left in 2020 without a degree, before enrolling at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College in 2025.
This isn’t DeFoor’s first brush with the law; a guilty plea in April 2025 to two vandalism charges for damaging an interior design company to the tune of over $2,000 resulted in a mental health treatment sentence and a hefty $5,550 fine.
Vice President Vance took to X to address the incident, stating, “I appreciate everyone's well wishes about the attack at our home.” He added, “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.”
While Vance’s measured tone reflects gratitude for law enforcement’s swift action, one can’t help but wonder if this attack on a secondary residence—while the family resides primarily at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.—signals deeper unrest or a personal grudge, though no evidence yet points to either.