Court documents show a man accused of jumping the White House fence had left a suicide note with friends and told his mother that she may never see him again.

Joseph Caputo, 22, has been charged with scaling the fence while President Barack Obama was celebrating Thanksgiving with his family, prompting a lockdown.

Authorities say Caputo draped himself in an American flag when he went over the fence on Thursday afternoon.

Court documents show he had been staying with friends in Virginia and left them a note that stated his intention to die on November 26.

The documents show he also left an audio message for his mother and prepared a will.

Caputo made a brief court appearance yesterday and was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.