'Today' Show Security Breach Horror: Man Arrested For 'Lunging at Craig Melvin and Hurling Racial Slur' After Following NBC Star Into Building
Craig Melvin was reportedly attacked Thursday morning.
July 16 2026, Updated 10:38 a.m. ET
Today show host Craig Melvin was reportedly attacked by an unknown man Thursday morning as he entered NBC's New York City headquarters, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The scary incident happened after the man allegedly "followed the morning show anchor into the building and lunged at him."
Scary Moments at NBC
The incident happened just as Melvin entered the NBC building in New York.
Melvin reportedly had just entered the building when a man breached security and rushed at him.
According to TMZ, the man was able to rush past security sometime around 9 AM ET and approach Melvin in a restricted area backstage, apparently near the dressing rooms area, where he allegedly "lunged at him while yelling a racial slur."
Staff and security reportedly rushed in and stopped the person, who was quickly arrested. Witnesses claimed Melvin was immediately surrounded by several people in the aftermath, which did not happen on-air.
However, Melvin may not have been the intended target, as the attacker apparently first asked for Al Roker as he stormed past security guards.
The scary scene is currently under investigation.
A 'Loud Security 'Failure'
At the start of the 9 AM hour, Melvin was missing from his usual seat alongside Roker and co-host Dylan Dreyer. He did return later in the show, but did not address the incident.
The intrusion reportedly left staffers at 30 Rock "demanding answers about how an unauthorized stranger" managed to successfully follow Melvin undetected. They weren't the only ones with questions over how something like this could have happened at the large building.
"Security around live TV shows seems tighter for fans than for actual intruders. How does someone get that close?" one person asked on X.
Another echoed, "Live TV security has one job, and this sounds like a pretty loud failure."
While one person slammed, "This is absolutely shocking and completely unacceptable behavior."
High Profile Events and Targets in New York
Security in and around NBC has already been heightened due to several high-profile events.
Law enforcement authorities are already on high alert in New York, with a number of major events recently, including Taylor Swift's wedding to Travis Kelce and this weekend's World Cup final.
"Security at 30 Rock has already been unusually tight this past week so it’s really wild that anyone was able to breach the building," one insider told The U.S. Sun.
"Anyone who was looking to enter the building, and even for the public concourse, which is typically completely open to the public, would have to show their work ID for that part of the building, or they’d have to show their lunch pick-up order receipt."
Security Concerns for Savannah Guthrie
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The search for Savannah Guthrie's missing mom, Nancy, led to an initial increase in security at the show.
At the same time, security at the morning show has been a top focus amid the disappearance and search for co-host Savannah Guthrie's missing mom, Nancy.
As Radar reported, the network took steps shortly after Nancy's February abduction to beef up police and security presence at the studio, out of what officials called an "abundance of caution."
"Things are tense at the studio, and as a result, NBC has stepped up security for on-air talent," one insider said at the time, adding, "NBC has partnered with the NYPD to make sure their staff remains safe."
