Fighter jets intercept plane in restricted Lake Tahoe airspace above Biden vacation spot

Fighter jets intercepted an aircraft Friday and escorted it out of an area that was temporarily restricted due to President Biden and his family vacationing in Lake Tahoe, Nev.

Two North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) F-16 fighter jets and a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft responded to a civilian aircraft that violated the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) area near Lake Tahoe about 7:50 a.m. Pacific time, according to a statement from NORAD.

The aircraft dispensed flares that could have been visible to the public to get the civilian aircraft pilot’s attention, but there was no danger to people on the ground, NORAD said.

The airspace violation had no impact on Secret Service operations, chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi told The Hill.

The president and his family have been in Lake Tahoe for the week and plan to return to the White House on Saturday. The Bidens are renting the lakefront home of climate activist and former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer and his wife, Kat Taylor.

After the commotion Friday morning, Biden left the house and traveled over the state line in Lake Tahoe to California. There, the president and members of his family took a Pilates class together.