The man who intruded into the sets of NBC’s Today! show on Thursday morning and hurled racist slurs at host Craig Melvin, after initially wanting to target co-host Al Roker, has been identified. citing three law enforcement sources that the man in question is Andrew Truelove.
Truelove, who is yet to be identified by authorities in , was a taken into custody by the New York Police Department. He has been described as a White man born in 1985 with multiple pending criminal cases in New York courts.
that the man in question was White and unarmed, and he entered the NBC sets via a stairwell and made his way backstage. Initial reports stated that the man originally wanted to target co-host Al Roker but ended up finding Craig Melvin, most likely near the dressing room backstage.
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A few hours after the incident, TODAY show also confirmed a security breach in a statement and confirmed that the person has been detained by the NYPD. TMZ also published a photo that showed the scene inside the studio after the . The suspect, Andrew Truelove, could be seen surrounded by several people in the photo.
“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,” the statement from NBC’s TODAY show read.
“NBC and TODAY take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously,” it 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.”
No further details about Andrew Truelove were revealed. However, details of his criminal history are expected to emerge once the identification is officially confirmed by the authorities in New York City.
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The reports of the incident started emerging earlier today, with TMZ first reporting about the incident. The New York Police Department said in a statement that the incident unfolded at around 9:19am EDT for “a disorderly person inside 30 Rockefeller Center.”
“Officers responded and placed an unidentified individual into custody. There were no injuries reported. The investigation remains ongoing,” the statement to Variety added.
The chaos from the incident lasted for around 15 minutes and no one was harmed in the incident, TMZ reported, adding that both Craig Melvin and Al Roker was able to get back on set and host the show.
