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Craig Melvin was back on Today one morning after an intruder allegedly breached the show’s New York City studio and confronted him during a security incident at Rockefeller Plaza.
Melvin returned to the desk July 17, joined by Laura Jarrett, while Al Roker was also back in the studio. Savannah Guthrie was out getting an “early start” to the weekend and will return Monday.
The return came after a man allegedly entered the Today studio around 9 a.m. on July 16, confronted Melvin and yelled racial slurs. A law enforcement source cited by People said the man also asked for Roker after getting past studio security.
What NBC Said Happened
The Today show confirmed there was a “security incident” after the suspect, later identified as 41-year-old Andrew Truelove, “entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A,” on the ground floor.
The NYPD said Truelove was charged with hate crime, burglary; hate crime, menacing; and hate crime, criminal trespass — all felonies.
NBC confirmed the man “approached” Melvin, who alerted security, and he was immediately detained by law enforcement.
“There was no altercation, and no one was injured,” NBC said, adding that Today is cooperating with law enforcement and reviewing its security protocols.
Live TV as a Workplace
“Live television creates a unique workplace because employees are doing their jobs in front of millions of viewers while remaining vulnerable to the same safety risks as any other workforce,” said Stephanie Alston, workplace expert and CEO of BGG Enterprises. “Being on camera should never diminish an employer’s responsibility to provide a safe working environment.”
Alston noted that live shows need “multiple layers of protection,” including physical security, emergency plans, risk reviews, employee training and communication among production, security and talent.
“Accountability isn’t simply about assigning blame — it’s about demonstrating that employee safety is treated as an ongoing operational priority rather than a reactive response to a public incident,” she said of an employer’s response to a security incident. “Every employee — from executives to production assistants to on-air personalities — deserves to know their employer has planned for both routine operations and unexpected threats.”
When Access Meets Risk
“The protocols that were in place were more than adequate,” said Bill Stanton, president of QVerity Secure and a former safety and security contributor for Today. “There were check-ins. There were security personnel, facial recognition, cameras, bomb dogs.”
Still, Stanton said being so near such public places comes with some level of vulnerability.
“The biggest issue, from my experience with event security and personal security details, is complacency. That’s the kryptonite of security systems,” he explained. “I’m sure the Today Show and NYPD are looking at what can be upgraded.”
