“TODAY” show host Craig Melvin assured viewers Friday that he’s “safe and sound” following a moment of terror at the studio.
According to TODAY.com, a man identified by police as Andrew Truelove allegedly entered an unauthorized area near Studio 1A at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, N.Y., and shouted a racial slur at Melvin. Multiple people familiar with the matter were cited, as well as a statement from NBC News.
“TODAY” also confirmed that there was a “security incident” after the suspect entered the unauthorized area near the show’s street-level headquarters. Melvin alerted security about the individual, per the show’s statement.
“The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured. ‘TODAY’ is cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate the matter,” the statement said. It also added that both NBC and “TODAY” take the safety and security of employees and visitors seriously and that the incident is under review.
The New York Post reported that a NYPD officer working paid detail in the building detained Truelove. According to the “TODAY” report, Truelove was born in 1985 and has a criminal history including several cases pending before New York courts.
“A spokesperson for NYPD said Thursday evening that Truelove had been accused of three felony charges – hate crime, burglary; hate crime, menacing; and hate crime, criminal trespass. Truelove was also charged with harassment,” said the outlet.
Per the New York Post report, Truelove was taken to the Midtown North Precinct. Law enforcement sources cited by the Post said he has been arrested several times in New York City within the past year alone and that his criminal history stretches back years.
Truelove was mentioned in a 2023 article from the Los Angeles Times. It said he was a Virginia native that was homeless in California, where he moved to pursue the dream of starting his own social media platform. By that time, he had already served jail time for a “string of felony offenses,” and he said he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and mood disorder, said the Los Angeles Times.
