A man was arrested after breaking into the Today Show’s studio in New York City on Thursday, July 16, TMZ reports.
He confronted Craig Melvin, lunging at him. The man was also said to be asking for Al Roker, with law enforcement sources telling the outlet that he managed to get past security. When he couldn’t find Roker, he turned his attention to Craig and yelled racial slurs at the co-host.
The incident occurred around 9 a.m. ET, with the man being described as “white and was unarmed.” He “entered a stairwell and made his way backstage — we’re told near the dressing room, though where exactly is unclear.”
The incident did not occur during the broadcast, and nobody was injured. A photo obtained by TMZ showed Melvin, Roker, and co-host Dylan Dreyer looking shaken as they talked following the incident. But they were back on air 15 minutes later.
“We’re told the incident has staff demanding answers about how an unauthorized stranger managed to trail one of the show’s biggest stars off the publicly accessible plaza and get so deep inside the building undetected,” TMZ added.
The NYPD released a statement regarding the situation, saying that “it was reported to officers that there was a disorderly person inside 30 Rockefeller Center, within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct. Officers responded and placed an unidentified individual into custody. There were no injuries reported. The investigation remains ongoing,” per PEOPLE.