NBC enhances security at Today studio after intruder incident involving Craig Melvin
NBC has tightened security protocols at its Manhattan Today show studio following an intruder’s assault on co-host Craig Melvin, while the network also deals with the ongoing investigation into Savannah Guthrie’s mother’s kidnapping.
NBC announced additional security measures at the Today show studio in Manhattan after co-host Craig Melvin was confronted by an intruder in a restricted area of the set. The incident, which occurred in a vestibule, prompted the network to review its protocols and issue a statement that it remains "committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios."
According to an internal memo obtained by Variety and confirmed by NBC sources, guests will now be allowed to bring only two support persons, such as stylists or aides, onto the set. Staff members reported that the new procedures are more burdensome but are welcomed for the added safety.
The intruder, identified as 41-year-old Andrew Truelove, a homeless man with a long criminal record, allegedly entered the studio seeking Al Roker but encountered Melvin instead, using a racial slur during the encounter. He faces hate-crime charges of burglary, a felony, and menacing, a misdemeanor, related to the incident. Court records show Truelove also has pending cases for assault, trespassing, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.
The security overhaul comes months after the February 1 abduction of Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, from her home in Tucson, Arizona, a case that remains unsolved with no arrests reported.