Norad scrambles F-16s to intercept civilian aircraft that strayed near Biden vacation spot at Tahoe

This Feb. 10, 2012 photo shows an F-16 undergoing a routine checkup in a hangar at Buckley Air Force Base east of Denver. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

WASHINGTON — U.S. air defense scrambled fighter jets Friday to wave off a civilian aircraft that had entered temporarily restricted air space near Lake Tahoe, where President Joe Biden and Jill Biden are vacationing.

The crews of two F-16s fired flares to catch the attention of the pilot of the civilian craft and escorted it out of the restricted airspace without further incident, North American Aerospace Defense Command, or Norad, said in a statement.

A Coast Guard helicopter also took part in the intercept, which happened Friday morning West Coast time. No information about the civilian aircraft or its pilot was released.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, that the incursion was "not of protective interest" and had no impact on Secret Service operations.

White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton added there also was no impact on the president.

Biden is due to fly back to Washington on Saturday after a week of vacation with his family in California's Lake Tahoe region.