Craig Melvin and Al Roker were granted an order of protection against the “Today” show’s insane intruder.
A lawyer for the intruder told TMZ on Friday that a judge issued an order of protection against Andrew Truelove on Friday, asking him to stay away from the morning show host.
At the same time, Truelove was formally charged with a hate crime, and a judge set bail at $10,000, The Post confirmed.
He is charged with third-degree robbery, a hate crime, and third-degree menacing, a hate crime.
As Page Six previously reported, Truelove was arrested Thursday after allegedly breaking into the Today show’s studio and confronting Melvin. He is accused of bypassing security and entering an unauthorized area near 30 Rock’s Studio 1A around 9 a.m. Thursday.
At Friday’s arraignment, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Millicent Kastenbaum said Truelove allegedly used an ID badge to tail an employee who attempted to enter an “employee-only area” from the lobby.
This gave him access to the stairwell, where he confronted Melvin and demanded to know Roker’s whereabouts.
During the exchange, Truelove took several steps toward the host and hit him with a racial slur, according to the criminal complaint and sources.
“I’ve always wanted to call a black celebrity the N-word,” Truelove told Melvin, 47, who called security and the intruder was detained and arrested.
Truelove was being held at Rikers Island as of Friday, according to court records obtained by the newspaper.
If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison and is scheduled to appear in court again on July 22.
In response to this horrific incident, the Today show released a statement.
“A security incident occurred this morning at the TODAY Show studio. An individual entered an unauthorized area of the vestibule near Studio 1A. The individual approached anchor Craig Melvin and security alerted him,” the statement began.
The NBC program confirmed that the trespasser was “taken into custody and taken into custody by law enforcement without incident” and that there was no “altercation” or injury.
“Today we are fully cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate this matter,” the statement continued. “NBC and TODAY take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests very seriously.”
A source exclusively told us that the security guard was fired over the incident.
Melvin made a brave return to the Today show on Friday, assuring viewers that he was “safe and sound” after the security breach. Roker is back too.
“I would like to briefly talk about an incident that happened yesterday,” Melvin said. “Unfortunately, you may have heard that an intruder has entered an unauthorized area here in Studio 1A.
“Thankfully, he was quickly arrested,” the journalist continued. “He has been arrested and we are fully cooperating with the NYPD as they investigate this matter.”
Melvin concluded, “I’m really happy that everyone is safe.”
