Andrew Truelove, 41, the man accused of storming the "Today" show set and verbally accosting anchors, was observed in the background of the program minutes before the alleged intrusion, a video indicates.
Authorities allege Truelove slipped past security at 30 Rock on Thursday around 9 a.m. and entered an area restricted to employees near Studio 1A. He is accused of demanding to see anchor Al Roker and using a racial slur against anchor Craig Melvin. A video from the "news at 8" segment of the show captured an individual resembling Truelove in the background.
The man in the video is seen pacing and using a vape, wearing attire described as a sweat-soaked, drab-colored collared shirt and gray shorts, similar to what Truelove wore when he was arrested. He was reportedly seen with a police officer nearby.
According to Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Millicent Kastenbaum, Truelove allegedly followed a staff member who used an ID badge to access an "employee's only area."
Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Jeffrey Gershuny set Truelove's bail at $10,000 and issued an order of protection prohibiting him from approaching the "Today" show anchors.
"Today" show host Savannah Guthrie was seen at LaGuardia Airport on Friday, reportedly keeping a low profile. She is scheduled to take a leave of absence for several weeks to film a game show based on the New York Times game Wordle. Guthrie had recently returned on April 6 from a two-month absence following her mother's disappearance in February.
NBC News has reportedly terminated a security guard who is alleged to have allowed Truelove to enter the studio.
Police and law enforcement sources indicate Truelove has a criminal record in New York City with at least eight prior arrests since July 2025, primarily for criminal mischief. His history outside New York includes an arrest in Virginia in 2012 for stealing signs from playgrounds that honored victims of the Sandy Hook mass shooting. The Virginian-Pilot reported that in 2007, Truelove was sentenced to four years in prison for abduction after he went to a Virginia high school with a lug wrench and grabbed a young girl by her backpack straps.
