Man Charged with Hate Crimes After Breaching NBC Studio and Racially Slurring Host A man who bypassed security at New York’s 30 Rockefeller Center and hurled a racial slur at “Today” show co-host Craig Melvin appeared in court on Friday to face charges related to the incident. Andrew Truelove, 41, was charged with burglary and menacing, both classified as third-degree hate crimes, following an investigation into his unauthorized entry into the NBC studio complex. According to the criminal complaint, Truelove entered the building’s lobby shortly before 9 a.m. on Thursday and slipped past a security checkpoint by following an employee who used their identification card to access a restricted area. Once inside, Truelove was at the bottom of a stairwell when he spotted Melvin, a Black co-host, and shouted for Al Roker, the show’s weather and feature anchor. The complaint states that Truelove then approached Melvin and hurled a racial slur at him. Both men are Black, and the exchange lasted approximately 10 seconds before Melvin exited the stairwell with Truelove and alerted security. NYPD officers detained Truelove near the exterior of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where he was subsequently arrested. During the arrest, Melvin reportedly asked Truelove, “That’s what you wanted to get arrested for?” to which Truelove responded, “I always wanted to call a Black famous person the N-word,” according to the criminal complaint. Melvin briefly addressed the incident during Friday’s “Today” show, stating he was “safe and sound” and describing the breach as an “intruder making his way into an unauthorized area” near Studio 1A. He emphasized that security personnel had quickly apprehended the individual and that the network was cooperating with NYPD as the investigation continued.#new_york #nbc #craig_melvin #andrew_truelove #world_cup_fan_zone
