An incident that could have rippled into a national security alert ended as a traffic fatality after a man crashed his vehicle into a security barrier around the White House complex on Saturday night. The unidentified male driver was declared deceased on the scene shortly before 10:30 p.m., near the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, as reported by TIME.

Despite the proximity of the collision to the seat of American power, authorities have moved swiftly to douse any concerns. The U.S. Secret Service stated that “there is no threat to the White House”, a message underscoring the gravity with which such incidents are treated, even when the President himself, Joe Biden, was away in Delaware for the weekend. Chief of Communications for the United States Secret Service Anthony Guglielmi said, “Security protocols were implemented as officers cleared the vehicle and attempted to render aid to the driver who was discovered deceased,” in a statement obtained by USA Today.

The crash's cause remains a mystery, with preliminary investigations by authorities treating the event as a severe traffic incident. While the Metropolitan Police Department is engaged in major crash investigations, as reported by WTOP, officials were tight-lipped, providing no further details about the driver or the motivations behind his final, fatal maneuver.

In the meantime, normalcy has been restored around one of the world's most guarded locations. The Secret Service spokesperson assured the public, stating, “There are limited traffic closures in the area as teams investigate,” a stark reminder that the business of the capital trundles on, almost indifferent to individual tragedy. The Secret Service has continued to emphasize that the incident posed no danger and will conduct their own investigation into the crash that the man driving into the barrier, found no ongoing safety concerns for the public.