A scary security breach occurred at NBC’s Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday morning when an intruder reportedly confronted TODAY show co-anchor Craig Melvin inside a restricted area of the network’s studios.
According to law enforcement, the man managed to get past security at NBC’s headquarters, initially asking for 71-year-old Al Roker. However, he was unable to find him. The suspect then allegedly made his way into a restricted area where he encountered Melvin.
The suspect reportedly yelled a racial slur at Melvin and lunged at him before security was able to step in and detain him. Melvin was not injured during the incident.
Viewers likely had no idea that the incident occurred, as it did not happen on air and the morning broadcast continued as normal without any interruption.
Around 15 minutes after this occurred, both Roker and Melvin returned to the live show. Neither of them addressed what had taken place.
Despite no one being harmed, the incident has reportedly left the staff “demanding answers” as to why the suspect was able to get past security in the first place.
NBC News later confirmed the security incident and said it was reviewing its security protocols while cooperating with law enforcement.
Melvin, who is 47 years old and a father of two, has been a fixture on the show since 2018.
In 2025, he officially replaced Hoda Kotb as Savannah Guthrie’s co-anchor after the beloved former host departed.
After the announcement was made that he would be taking her place, Kotb shared her support for Melvin, saying, "You were made for this job. You have all the things that this job needs. You're the right person for it."
Kotb would later return to the show earlier this year to fill in for Savannah in the wake of the disappearance of her elderly mother, Nancy Guthrie. Nancy, who was 84 years old at the time of her alleged abduction, disappeared in the early morning hours of February 1 and has not been located.
