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Around 9 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, July 16, a man was able to get past security at 30 Rockefeller Center and make his way toward the Today set. That individual, identified as Andrew Truelove, was reportedly looking for longtime weatherman Al Roker. When he couldn’t find Roker, Truelove allegedly lunged toward anchor Craig Melvin and hurled a racial slur at him, according to TMZ. He was taken into custody and is now facing hate crime charges, per the report.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
“There was a security incident this morning at the TODAY show studio. An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A,” a spokesperson for Today said in a statement. “The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security. The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured.”
Before the scary incident unfolded during the live broadcast, many believe they spotted Truelove hanging out on the plaza in the area directly behind where Savannah Guthrie was sitting. According to TMZ, the man appeared to be pacing back and forth while smoking — and was wearing the same clothes and had similar features as the man who was arrested a short time later.
Here is the actual video of Andrew Lovelace walking behind the glass while Savannah Guthrie is filming. It is not AI, I pulled this clip directly from the 7/16 Today Show YouTube page. The guy is smoking and pacing.
Credit to @Lkmae5505 for first sharing that this footage was… pic.twitter.com/TLtZZbMmI2
— Shana_X_ (@Shana__X__) July 18, 2026
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The outlet confirmed that Truelove, 41, has a criminal record. He is facing 15 years in prison if convicted, per People. Both Melvin and Roker have been granted protective orders, according to the report.
“Thankfully, he was apprehended quickly, he was placed under arrest, we are cooperating fully with NYPD as they investigate the matter, and we are just very happy that everyone is safe,” Melvin said after the incident.
Truelove is due in court on July 22.
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