The man who breached security and confronted “Today” show host Craig Melvin in the studio on Thursday was supposed to be behind bars on felony charges.
NBC News confirmed in a statement on Thursday that Andrew Truelove, 41, “entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A” at Rockefeller Center Plaza around 9 A.M. and approached Melvin, allegedly using racial slurs and asking for TV host Al Roker. He was quickly detained by security.
“An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security,” the statement says. “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. NBC and Today take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously,” the statement continued. “We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios.”
Court records obtained by TMZ show that Truelove shouldn’t have been walking free in the first place. The “Today” show trespasser recently pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief after being accused of damaging multiple vehicles, the outlet noted. He was sentenced in June to six months in jail and five years of probation.
Truelove is a repeat offender with three pending criminal cases in New York, including charges of misdemeanor assault, reckless endangerment, criminal trespassing, and trespassing. He pleaded not guilty in all those cases.
The Los Angeles Times did a lengthy profile in 2023 about Truelove being homeless shortly after arriving in Los Angeles. The piece details how he moved from Virginia to California after getting off probation and serving time in prison on the East Coast, noting how he has PTSD and bipolar disorder. The outlet also mentioned one of Truelove’s previous crimes, which involved stealing memorial signs erected for Sandy Hook school shooting victims. LA Times reported that Truelove believed the event was a hoax.
For his latest trespassing incident, Truelove was charged with hate crime-burglary, hate crime-menacing, hate crime-criminal trespass, and harassment at an arraignment on Friday. The judge set bail at $10,000.
Roker addressed the incident on social media, writing, “A really heartfelt thank you to all who reached out over the last 24 hours to check in on my brother, @craigmelvinnbc. We are both okay. It’s moments like these that serve to pull us together. You all, like Craig, said: ‘You come after one of us, you come after all of us.’ We’ll talk about it this morning on @todayshow.”
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