He thought his family was safe. Then, just after midnight, a hammer smashed through the quiet outside JD Vance’s Cincinnati home. Secret Service agents sprinted toward the sound, finding a man allegedly breaking windows, vandalizing a government vehicle, and trying to force his way inside. An upscale neighborhood. A vice president away in Washington.

Authorities say the unidentified suspect was quickly tackled and detained by Secret Service agents before he could get inside the Walnut Hills residence, then handed over to Cincinnati police on suspicion of property damage. Vice President Vance and his family were not home, having left for Washington the previous afternoon, but the incident shattered any illusion of distance between national politics and personal safety.

The house has long been a flashpoint, drawing protesters over Vance’s positions on Ukraine and other issues, including a tense episode in which demonstrators allegedly confronted him while he walked with his young daughter. Vance has publicly railed against those who bring political rage to his front door. Now, with a hammer-wielding intruder targeting his home, the line between political dissent and dangerous escalation looks thinner—and more fragile—than ever.