‘Crazed’ Man Breaks into ‘Today Show’ Building and Attacks Anchor

Today show host Craig Melvin was reportedly targeted in a frightening security breach Thursday morning after an unknown man allegedly followed him into NBC’s New York City headquarters.

The incident unfolded as Melvin entered the NBC building in Manhattan, where the man allegedly got past security and rushed toward him in a restricted area.

According to TMZ, the man made it past security at around 9 a.m. ET and approached Melvin backstage, apparently near the dressing room area. He allegedly lunged at the morning show anchor while yelling a racial slur.

Staffers and security quickly stepped in and stopped the man, who was arrested shortly afterward.

Witnesses said Melvin was immediately surrounded by several people after the scare. The incident did not play out on-air.

It is still unclear whether Melvin was the man’s intended target. The attacker reportedly first asked for Al Roker as he moved past security guards.

The incident is now under investigation.

Melvin was missing from his usual seat at the start of the 9 a.m. hour, where he typically appears alongside Roker and co-host Dylan Dreyer. He later returned to the show but did not address what happened.

The breach reportedly rattled staffers inside 30 Rock, where employees were left questioning how an unauthorized person was able to follow Melvin inside without being stopped sooner.

Some viewers and social media users also expressed shock after reports of the incident surfaced.

“Security around live TV shows seems tighter for fans than for actual intruders. How does someone get that close?” one person wrote on X.

Another called it “a pretty loud failure,” while someone else described the alleged behavior as “absolutely shocking and completely unacceptable.”

The scare comes at a particularly tense time in New York, where security has already been heightened because of several high-profile events, including Taylor Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce and this weekend’s World Cup final.

One insider told The U.S. Sun that security around 30 Rock had already been unusually strict in recent days.

“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,” the insider said.

Security has also reportedly been a major concern at the morning show amid the disappearance and search for Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy.

RadarOnline previously reported that NBC increased police and security presence at the studio after Nancy’s February abduction, with officials describing the move as being done out of 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. “NBC has partnered with the NYPD to make sure their staff remains safe.”

For now, Melvin has not publicly spoken about the reported incident. But the alleged breach has raised new questions about how someone was able to get so close to one of NBC’s most recognizable morning anchors inside one of New York’s most closely watched buildings.