A man has claimed responsibility for the drone that crashed onto the White House grounds on Monday, saying he was just flying it for fun.

Secret Service Investigation Spokeswoman Nicole B. Mainor said the man contacted the agency to report the incident. Initial findings indicate the crash resulted from the "recreational use" of the said drone, Mainor stated.

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The man was a government employee but was not working for the White House. He told the Secret Service he flew the drone at 3:00 am, until he lost control of it.

The man also said he did not mean to fly the drone over the White House, as he vowed to cooperate with investigators. 

The two-foot-long quadcopter crashed onto the south grounds of the White House complex shortly after 3:00 am E.T.  A Secret Service officer posted in the area "heard and observed" the device "flying at a very low altitude".

The incident triggered an immediate lockdown and investigation. Police, fire and other emergency vehicles surrounded the White House. The entire perimeter was on lockdown until around 5 a.m.

The Secret Service will continue to pursue all possible leads and conduct interviews and forensic tests to gather more data on the drone crash, said Mainor. The U.S. attorney's office in D.C. will then decide on possible prosecution, she added.

While the aircraft did not pose immediate threat to the White House, observers say it triggered questions on the White House security as well as that of the president's. It also raised concerns on the use of commercial drones in U.S. skies.

"With the discovery of an unauthorized drone on the White House lawn, the eagle has crash-landed in Washington; there is no stronger sign that clear FAA guidelines for drones are needed," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Monday afternoon. 

The breaches have also triggered questions about the Secret Service's effectiveness in providing security for the highest office in America.

Former Secret Service Director Julia Pierson resigned last year after a man armed with a knife jumped over a White House fence in September gaining access deep into the executive mansion before being subdued. 

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were en route to India when the drone crashed. It remains unclear whether their daughters, Sasha and Malia, were inside the White House with their grandmother, Marian Robinson.

Tagsdrone crash, commercial drone, security breach, Secret Service