A man draped in an American flag climbed over the fence at the White House, prompting a lockdown the day the first family celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Secret Service said the man was immediately apprehended and taken into custody.

An image of the man atop a section of fence in front of the North Lawn was posted on WJLA's website.

A second image shows the man standing on the lawn with his arms raised in victory.

"I just heard him take a big, deep breath and whisper to himself, 'All right, let's do this,' and he took off," Pena told WJLA. "It was chaotic. Everyone around us was yelling and kids were crying. It was pretty unexpected."

Secret Service spokesman Robert Hoback said the north and south fence lines at the White House were temporarily closed.

Criminal charges against Caputo are pending. The contents of the envelope he was carrying are unknown.

D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) released this statement:

President Barack Obama and his wife and daughters spent the holiday at the White House.