A man identified as Andrew TrueLove, 41, faces burglary and menacing charges as hate crimes after allegedly storming the set of NBC's "Today" Show on Thursday, demanding to know the whereabouts of anchor Al Roker and using a racial slur against host Craig Melvin.
According to Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Millicent Kastenbaum, TrueLove followed a staff member into an employee-only area at 30 Rock around 9 a.m. before confronting Melvin. Prosecutors stated TrueLove called out Melvin by name, asked for Roker, then took steps toward Melvin and uttered the slur. When Melvin asked if being arrested was what he wanted, TrueLove allegedly responded, "I always wanted to call a black famous person the N-word."
TrueLove has reportedly accumulated several arrests in the past year. He was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court, where Judge Jeffrey Gershuny set bail at $10,000 and issued a protective order barring him from approaching "Today" show hosts. TrueLove was being held at Rikers Island as of Friday morning.
He has been charged with burglary in the third degree as a hate crime and menacing in the third degree as a hate crime. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison. TrueLove is scheduled to appear in court again on July 22.