Man breaches security at 30 Rock, lunges at ‘Today’ co-host Craig Melvin, official says
By Mark Morales, CNN
(CNN) — A man who managed to slip past tight security at 30 Rockefeller Center and confront “Today” show co-host Craig Melvin, allegedly lunging at him and hurling a racial slur, was taken into custody Thursday morning, according to a law enforcement official.
Officers responded to a report of a disorderly person inside 30 Rockefeller Center at approximately 9:19 a.m., within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct, and placed the unidentified individual into custody, according to the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. No injuries were reported, and the investigation remains ongoing, the NYPD said.
CNN has reached out to NBC for comment.
Investigators believe the man entered through a secured area, where he asked staffers for Al Roker, the law enforcement official said. When he didn’t find the longtime co-host, he turned his attention to Melvin, spotting him a short time later. That’s when the confrontation happened, the official said.
Investigators are trying to determine how the man was able to breach the secured area and are combing through surveillance footage, the official said.
The man is being held at an NYPD precinct in Midtown Manhattan, the official said.
Security was stepped up at NBC’s “Today” show in February as Savannah Guthrie’s co-hosts and colleagues covered the abduction of her mother, Nancy, two people at the network said on condition of anonymity.
The additional security measures were implemented out of an abundance of caution to help alleviate some of the stress the show’s hosts were feeling as they talked on air every morning about the mystery.
Major networks like NBC have security departments that support their hosts — from physical protection to online threat tracking — and liaise with local police.
CNN’s Brian Stelter and Nina Giraldo contributed to this report.
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