NEWS'Today' Show Security Breach: Intruder Arrested After Lunging at Craig Melvin While Yelling Racial Slur
Craig Melvin was allegedly lunged at by an intruder during the Thursday, July 16, production of 'Today.'
July 16 2026, Updated 11:57 a.m. ET
Chaos ensued at Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday morning, July 16, as a security breach occurred on the set of the Today show, leaving Craig Melvin stunned.
According to law enforcement sources, an intruder has been arrested after following Melvin inside of Studio1A and lunging at the NBC television host.
In a statement to TMZ, police insiders said the stranger was initially looking for legendary Today host Al Roker after slipping past security at around 9 a.m. ET.
The intruder allegedly yelled a racial slur while lunging at Craig Melvin.
While it seems he was unsuccessful in locating Roker, the intruder — who is said to be white and was unarmed — "got close enough to confront Craig in a restricted area and allegedly lunged at him while yelling a racial slur," the news outlet's report.
The shocking situation reportedly went down backstage near the dressing room after the individual slipped inside the building and entered a stairwell.
Dylan Dryer was photographed looking visibly shocked while speaking to Craig Melvin and Al Roker after the ordeal.
Staff and security rushed in after the suspect, who was eventually detained and arrested. It's unclear exactly how the breach occurred and it was not caught on NBC's live broadcast cameras.
In a photo obtained by TMZ Melvin and Roker could be seen near a glass table inside of the studio surrounded by production crew and fellow Today star Dylan Dreyer — who had her mouth dropped open, visibly shocked by what had just unfolded inside of the Manhattan building.
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- Savannah Guthrie Returns to 'Today' After 4-Day Absence Amid Mom Nancy's Disappearance: 'Had Some Much-Deserved Time Off'
- Savannah Guthrie Mysteriously Absent From Back-to-Back 'Today' Show Broadcasts Amid Search for Missing Mother Nancy
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NBC Staffers 'Demanding Answers' After Security Breach
Staffers are questioning how an intruder made it past security.
Just about 15 minutes after the frightening encounter occurred, Melvin and Roker both brushed off the drama and were on air to resume the remainder of Today's Thursday morning broadcast.
Neither television personality addressed the security breach during the show.
Fortunately, no one was hurt as a result of the incident, law enforcement sources confirmed, however, TMZ reported the ordeal has left rattled staffers "demanding answers about how an unauthorized stranger" managed to successfully follow Melvin inside of the building undetected.
Was Savannah Guthrie's Mom Targeted Because of 'Today' Fame?
Savannah Guthrie said it 'would make sense' that her missing mother was targeted because of her 'Today' show fame.
An ambush like the intrusion that went down inside of Studio1A on Thursday morning is only the latest unsettling event to plague the Today show family.
Melvin and Roker's beloved co-host Savannah Guthrie and her loved ones remain heartbroken after her mother, Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on February 1.
An investigation into her disappearance continues and her whereabouts remain unknown, however, police believe she was abducted in the middle of the night after being dropped off at her Tucson, Ariz., home on January 31.
Savannah previously opened up about the sad cycle of thoughts that go through her head in the months since her mom was seemingly abducted.
“I don’t know that it’s because she’s my mom and somebody thought, ‘Oh, that girl— that lady has money. We can … make a quick buck.’ I mean, that would make sense,” she told Hoda Kotb in March, when she sat down for her first interview since Nancy's disappearance. “But we don’t know. Which is too much to bear, to think that I brought this to her bedside. That it’s because of me.”
