Overview
- A man slipped past security into a restricted vestibule at 30 Rockefeller Center and approached co-anchor Craig Melvin before staff and police detained him, the NYPD said about the July 16 incident.
- The suspect was identified as 41-year-old Andrew Truelove and charged with burglary, menacing and criminal trespass as hate crimes, plus harassment, according to police and charging records.
- Melvin said on air that he is “safe and sound,” the show resumed broadcasting within minutes on July 16, and TODAY said it is cooperating fully with the NYPD.
- Reporting indicates NBC is reviewing security procedures for Studio 1A and that a TODAY security guard was reported fired after the breach, though that staffing detail is sourced primarily to TMZ.
- Public records and prior profiles show Truelove has recent felony and misdemeanor cases and documented mental-health issues, a background that law enforcement and the court system will weigh as the investigation and pending arraignment proceed.