White House reporters got a surprise Tuesday morning after a mouse fell from the ceiling of the press booth.

The rodent fell onto the lap of NBC News White House correspondent Peter Alexander about 10:45 a.m., eventually seeking refuge amid a tangle of wires behind a shelf.

Peter Alexander, NBC News White House correspondent, tweeted that a mouse “literally fell out of the ceiling” and onto his lap.

In other news: A mouse literally fell out of the ceiling in our White House booth and landed on my lap. — Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) October 1, 2019

Some reporters ran for cover, while others sought to corner the mouse and capture it. The rodent sneaked under the door into the main hall of the press area before it eventually ran into the briefing room, where reporters lost track of it.

Social media was bombarded with images of the mouse and the subsequent hunt.

Mouse in the @NBCNews booth at @WhiteHouse today after falling from the ceiling and landing on @PeterAlexander pic.twitter.com/qN5Ww06QFp — Jabin Botsford (@jabinbotsford) October 1, 2019

Mouse hunt in the White House press room pic.twitter.com/hRyZTR0kpn — Steve Holland (@steveholland1) October 1, 2019

The most excitement in the White House briefing room in months. Reporters attempt to capture a baby mouse that fell on ⁦@PeterAlexander⁩ lap moments ago pic.twitter.com/6zWRZfTAaq — Shannon Pettypiece (@spettypi) October 1, 2019

It does not appear that the mouse has since been caught. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mice, rats, cockroaches and other creepy-crawlies aren’t new to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., proving an enduring problem for commanders in chief and a popular metaphor for their critics. As Caroline Harrison, wife of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president, once noted: “The rats have nearly taken the building so it has become necessary to get a man with ferrets to drive them out. They have become so numerous and bold that they get up on the table.”

President Trump was even more concise in 2017, when he reportedly pointed out that the White House is a “real dump.”

Late last year, a rat made its way onto the White House lawn. The White House and Lafayette Square are maintained by the National Park Service, which conducts rodent sweeps weekly.