Government Employee Flying Drone that Crashed at White House, Secret Service Says

 The White House in Washington, D.C. went into lockdown mode early Monday when a small drone reportedly crashed into the side of the building.

The Secret Service has now confirmed that the drone was allegedly controlled by a government employee, who is reportedly cooperating with law enforcement.

The incident happened at around 3 a.m. Monday, when a small drone crashed into the side of the president's residence.

The Secret Service said in a statement that a member of the White House security team "heard and observed a 'quad copter' device, approximately two feet in diameter, flying at a very low altitude and ultimately crashing on the southeast side of the complex."

The drone then reportedly crashed into the side of the White House on its southeast grounds, landing in a tree.

"There was an immediate alert and lockdown of the complex until the device was examined and cleared," the Secret Service added in a statement.

The Secret Service said in a second statement that the person flying the drone is believed to be a government employee who seemed to be flying the electronic out of recreation, although it still remains unclear as to why the employee was flying the drone at three in the morning.

"The individual has been interviewed by Secret Service agents and been fully cooperative. Initial indications are that this incident occurred as a result of recreational use of the device," the second statement said.

The drone was later recovered by Secret Service officials, and it has been confirmed that the small remote-controlled plane did not have a camera on it.