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Man accused in 'Today' show security breach had racist dad, says sister

Jessica Schladebeck and Rebecca White, New York Daily News on

Published in Entertainment News

NEW YORK — Andrew Truelove, the suspect accused of sneaking onto the “Today” show set in search of Al Roker and then hurling racial slurs at Craig Melvin, grew up with a racist father and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in college, according to his family.

“Our father was racist, took Andrew to hear David Duke speak, denied the Holocaust despite being Jewish, used frequent slurs, and so on,” his sister, who declined to be identified, said in text messages with the Daily News. “It would seem my brother took some of that to heart.”

She further revealed that Truelove, who has been experiencing homelessness in New York City, has had “many incidents” since he was first diagnosed with his mental health conditions, including stealing a Sandy Hook memorial sign. What’s more, his criminal record includes eight arrests in the City, police sources said.

She also noted that while she has not seen Truelove in over a decade, they had a phone call about a week ago, during which he made no mention of the “Today” show.

“I’m just glad no one was hurt,” she added.

Truelove allegedly entered Rockefeller Center through the lobby on Thursday around 9 a.m., then followed closely behind an employee, who used an ID card to scan both of them in to a restricted area, according to a complaint in the case. He then made his way backstage, where he apparently began to search for 71-year-old Roker.

While he failed to find America’s Favorite Weatherman, Truelove did cross paths with Melvin, TMZ reported.

According to the complaint, a person identified as Informant 2 — presumably Melvin — spotted the suspect at the bottom of a stairwell in an “Employees Only” zone. Truelove went on to call him out by name, then demanded to know Roker’s whereabouts.

“You’re a n—,” Truelove told him as he approached, per the complaint.

The victim later told authorities the comment made him fear for his safety, but he pressed Truelove, asking him if this is something he wanted to be arrested for.

 

He allegedly replied: “I always wanted to call a Black famous person the N-word.”

Truelove was apprehended shortly thereafter, and a security guard has since been fired, TMZ reported.

Both Roker and Melvin, meanwhile, appeared on air some 15 minutes after the breach.

NBC News confirmed “there was a security incident” in a statement that also acknowledged an ongoing investigation into the matter.

“An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A,” it said.

“The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security,” the statement continued. “The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured.”

Truelove, 41, was charged with burglary and menacing, both as hate crimes, in addition to criminal trespass and harassment in connection with the case. He was arraigned Thursday night and ordered held on $10,000 bond.

The Daily News has reached out to NBC for additional comment on the matter.


©2026 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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