A man arrested Thursday after allegedly bursting into the offices of the Today show in New York City and lunging at Craig Melvin while shouting racial slurs has been charged with a hate crime.
New York City police confirmed to Page Six on Thursday evening that the man, who identified himself as Andrew Truelove, was arrested on charges of hate crime threatening, hate crime robbery, hate crime criminal trespass, and harassment after being arrested earlier in the day.
TMZ first reported the news.
Page Six also confirmed Thursday morning that a man was able to evade security at the show’s headquarters while searching for Al Roker, 71.
After failing to find Roker, Roker asked Melvin, 47, where he was. When they encountered Melvin, he had reached the stairs inside the studio with a backpack on his back, but was unable to reach the filming studio.
Melvin called security, after which Truelove was arrested and removed from the scene.
The Post confirmed with authorities and sources that Melvin called him the “N-word” during the encounter, and the New York City Police Department confirmed to us at the time that a suspect was in custody.
Both Mr. Roker and Mr. Melvin continued on the air after the incident, but did not discuss the matter on Thursday morning’s broadcast.
The New York City Police Department confirmed to Page Six earlier Thursday that someone was in custody.
“On Thursday, July 16, 2026, at approximately 8:57 a.m., uniformed officers assigned to 30 Rockefeller Center received a report of a disorderly person in the building,” the statement said.
“Shortly thereafter, responding officers entered the building and took the individual into custody without incident. There are no reports of injuries and the investigation remains active and ongoing.”
The “Today” show addressed what they called a “security incident” in a statement to Page six hours later.
“An individual entered an unauthorized area of the vestibule near Studio 1A,” the statement explained. “The individual approached anchor Craig Melvin and alerted security.”
The daily talk show said the intruder was eventually “taken into custody by law enforcement without incident.”
The statement continued: “Today, we are fully cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate this matter.”
Sources told Page Six that the show’s staff was already “on edge” following the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, earlier this year.
“He could have stabbed Craig, he could have planted a bomb. It’s just insane,” the source said.
On Thursday, Melvin addressed the incident in a sobering statement on social media.
“Hey everyone. Many of you have reached out to me in the last few hours. I’m fine,” he wrote. “Thank you for reaching out. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning on @todayshow.”
