A security breach occurred at the "TODAY" show Thursday morning when a man followed host Craig Melvin into the building from the public plaza and allegedly lunged at him.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the intruder initially demanded to see Al Roker after bypassing security.
He reportedly confronted Melvin in a restricted area, lunged at him, and shouted a racial slur.
The incident took place around 9 AM ET. Staff and security intervened, and the man was detained and arrested.
The exact route he took to enter the building remains unclear.
A photo from inside the studio showed Melvin surrounded by several people after the encounter. The incident was not broadcast, and no one was injured.
Staff are demanding answers about how an unauthorized person managed to follow a host from the publicly accessible plaza deep into the building undetected.
